Redemption
by Chamofleur
Summary: "Just how far can you go for redemption?" - The question echoes through Chloe's mind. She prepares to go on a journey to find out...and Senel won't be far behind. (SenelxChloe-a reboot of the 2007 fanfic.)
1. Let's Talk

OKAY HI. So…I get it. It's been six years. The fandom is probably dead and probably no one will find this. But honestly, my love for this game never died. And my love for Senel/Chloe never died, either. They are still my very first and favorite OTP. And honestly, looking at my writing style from back then I'm really glad I didn't finish this story then because damn it would have been terrible. All of my stories were kind of bad…although keep in mind, I was 11/12 at the most when I wrote the first few. Maybe 13 during the first few chapters of the unfinished Redemption.

But I've been thinking about it a lot, and I found a lot of old notes for this story. So…I figured that maybe the second time around, six years later…it might be a tad better. And now I'm here, writing this author's note before it starts. So before you read it, yeah, this is still in that shitty SotP timeline if anyone's still around who read that. (aka the story where senel and chloe's OC-ass daughter Blanca time travels from the future, loses her memories, gets them back, remembers Senel and Chloe are her parents, and boom. done. Honestly, that is all you have to know.) If you don't feel like reading it (and I don't blame you), here're the two key things you need to know in this continuity:

**-Senel and Chloe are living together at Senel's house. Senel does not see this as a problem because he is denser than a German chocolate cake. Shirley has taken this as "defeat" of sorts; she's starting to see Senel more as a brother. Because of being so close with Senel, Chloe's okay with actually calling him "Senel" more often, though she still prefers "Coolidge". Norma usually picks on both of them for this whole living situation.**

**-Something I want to change in the whole timeline: no one remembers Blanca; let's just say Grune wiped everyone's memories of her after she told Senel and Chloe the truth. They do, however, remember getting the Summon Spirit Treasures back. Honestly that whole thing was messed up and only Sailor Moon can pull that shit off without breaking the space-time continuum. **

**-this story begins between maybe one and a half/two-ish years after the game, give or take a bit.**

But other than that, that's all you have to know. Everything else is just like the game left it. So do enjoy the story, which, as a quick final note, will be switching PoVs from Senel to Chloe to 3rd person every so often. So, let's go! REDEMPTION, take two!

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_Ch. 1 – "Let's Talk" - .chloe valens._

_"If you ever wield a sword, I will show you no mercy. But if that is your resolve, then so be it."_

_ It had been a long time since I'd heard those words._

_ "I'm going to become a knight," I told myself, "A knight worthy of the House of Valens."_

_ There was a lot of suffering. Those long days spent trying to revive a House that would never again shine among its peers…they were far gone. The people talking behind my back, the name-calling, the deception…that also faded away._

_ "I've always been prepared to pay for my crimes just as soon as Elsa was cured," said the one who made my life into a living hell…the one called Stingle—no, the one called Alcott. The one who gave everything for his daughter. I still remember the burning hatred and the blind reaction to draw my sword whenever I saw that snake tattoo. And yet…that, too, is far away._

_ "You don't have to live in anyone's shadow anymore. You don't have to worry about what the people around you are saying. I don't care what anyone else says…I say it's okay. So stop it already."_

_ And those words…those were the words that pulled that hatred right out of me. Every regret, every bit of the fear I had, and every doubt. They were_ his _words. And I never forget them. I never will, for as long as I live._

_ Yet…there are still times where I still feel uneasy. Some time after the black mist faded, a strange, creeping feeling began to dwell inside me, like I had forgotten something, or something was left undone. I thought it would fade with time. I thought, as I got closer to him, and to everyone…those feelings would fade, just as my hatred did. _

_ But, as the anniversary of that day reared its ugly head once again…the feeling became stronger than ever. Yes…almost seven years to the day my life changed…the day when everything shattered and I was the only one left to pick up the broken pieces._

_ And, I sometimes wonder…_

"Chloe?"

A familiar voice. It was Elsa, who was looking better than ever, of course. Since the mist faded, she'd been growing stronger and stronger by the day—the only reason she still remains at the hospital is due to Alcott's skill as a medicine man. She smiled at me with her calm eyes and took a quick sip of her tea. Even after I stopped living here, I promised Elsa that I wouldn't stop having weekly tea with her and her father. She—both of them-were very good friends. And…in some ways…Elsa reminded me of myself. I looked to the foyer window, its light bright with the early evening sun. The hospital foyer always looked beautiful in that light, though there was a bit of sadness to it.

"Chloe, what is it?" Elsa asked, "You've been so distant all day!"

"Now, Elsa, mind your manners," Alcott said before I could speak, "Perhaps she doesn't want to talk about it."

"Oh…But Father, she-!" she protested, but I tried to calm her.

"It's all right, Elsa," I returned the smile from earlier, "I'm just…feeling a little under the weather, is all."

"H-huh?!" her eyes suddenly widened, "Why didn't you tell me?! Are you sick? Do you want Father to make you some medicine? If it's for you, I know he wouldn't mind!"

"I'm fine, Elsa," I said, pointing at my empty cup of tea, "Your tea helped a bit."

"Oh, good!" she clapped her hands together, "I put some medicinal herbs in it to make it taste a little better. When I told Father, he said I could take up his profession soon enough!"

"That's right," nodded Alcott with a smirk, "I think she may have more potential at this than I ever did." I could see Elsa's face turn red, just for a moment. She was a bit embarrassed, and turned away from him playfully.

"N-no, I could never be as good as you…" she looked down with a light glow of red still on the tips of her ears, but looked back quickly over at the tea-less teacups and the empty teapot, "But I can at least make some more tea!"

"It's almost evening, though," I told her calmly, "I should be getting back home soon."

"Home to _Senel_?" my friend turned to me as she gathered up the silverware with this…extremely suspect—and familiar—look. I'm sure Norma taught her that one…

"He's so lucky!" laughed Elsa, "I wish you still lived here with me…but I heard something about you two the other day from Norma!"

…Just hearing the phrases "I heard something" and "from Norma" put together made my stomach churn and a grimace cross my face…for as long as I've lived with Coolidge, Norma Beatty's always tried to make some strange stories up about us…at this point, the only one who still believes her is Elsa. Although…sometimes it's a little nice, to listen to the strange stories she—ah, um, no. That did not happen. Please forget I said that.

"…What did she say this time?" Alcott asked, obviously entertained. It didn't take long after the mist cleared for him to realize my feelings towards Coolidge…or perhaps Norma just told him, too.

"She said Senel and Chloe are going to get married soon!"

"…Did she, now…" I mumbled, shaking my head, "She's told you that how many times?"

"No, but this time she says it's real! She said she saw you two at the beach by Fallingwater last week, and Senel was kneeling on one knee in front of you! Oh, Chloe, please let me be your flower girl! I've always wanted to be a flower girl!" The moment she finished, I knew exactly what she was referring to…and wondered how in the world Norma managed to find that out.

"Elsa, that's…" I started, but shook my head, trying to phrase it differently, "I think she must have seen Coolidge when he was kneeling to put his shoes back on…I was right next to him in case he needed a hand…Alliance Marine uniform shoes are…more complicated than you'd think. Besides…"

"Besides?" asked an interested Alcott—I was surprised he was even playing along with all this. Usually, he'd tell Elsa to mind her manners…perhaps he just likes to see his daughter enjoying herself.

"…he wouldn't propose like that," I looked away from Elsa's gaze—I was afraid the thought of being simply proposed to would embarrass me—Coolidge or not. I honestly didn't know why I was telling her that…It was quite a while ago, but…he explained to me once many different Radiant rituals, one of which they use for marriage proposals. I don't quite remember the entire description, but…being around the Ferines for so long, I wouldn't doubt his affinity towards them rather than normal means.

"Oh, really?!" gasped Elsa, "Then how would he do it?!"

"I don't quite remember…" I fibbed, "But…I can at least tell you that, if I do happen to marry, then…yes, you can be the flower girl."

"Did you hear that, Father?!" she cried almost dropped the silverware in the process, "I'll be the flower girl at Chloe's wedding! Chloe, you _will_ get married, right?"

"Elsa…" Alcott (finally) stopped her, "That's Chloe's personal business. And be careful with those teapots; they're quite old. Why don't you put them back in the kitchen before you get carried away?"

"All right, all right…" she pouted, "But don't leave until I get back, Chloe! I want to say goodbye before you go back to Senel's."

I nodded as if to say I would still be there; carefully, she stumbled over towards the kitchen door in back, and as the doors closed behind her, I suddenly noticed a change in Alcott's demeanor. His expression was…something I was very much expecting around this time of year.

"…It's that time again, isn't it," he asked quietly despite the emptiness of the foyer.

"Yes," I said simply, "It is." He nodded knowingly, covering his forehead with his hand…as if he were ashamed.

"I apologize for bringing it up," he began, "That's all I'll ask."

"It's all right."

…Alcott was a simple man. He never did need to ask for more than he had to. Only what he needed, to keep his daughter alive. I respect that wish. I just…I sometimes wonder if my mother and father would ever understand. I wonder if they would have done the same in that situation, were we not born knights. Whenever I felt sadness from those memories on that day—or any day, for that matter—I scarcely blamed it on him anymore. This world is just that kind of place, even today...and, in the end, it's kill or be killed. But the sadness…it drew out that very feeling: the feeling of a missing piece in the strange, contorted mess of my mind.

The man said little else after that; we engaged in small talk until Elsa had returned. When she did, I noticed the sunlight slowly fading through the window and bade the both of them farewell.

"Take care," Alcott had given a slight nod goodbye and said nothing else. Elsa, on the other hand…

"You'll be back next week, right?" she asked, as usual, "After you're done helping Sherriff Will for the week?"

"I…" I stopped-something prevented me from saying more about what that day next week entailed, "I might be a little late…but I'll try to be here as soon as I can." For a moment, Elsa looked confused as to why I hesitated, but she smiled and told me she'd see me next week, all the same. With a final wave goodbye, I passed through the doors of my old home and looked towards the city of Werites Beacon. It's strange…there are some days when I'll leave the hospital and think of the day when Coolidge came by to give me that medal from Gadoria…After the Bridge Plain War. After Stella had died…and after Stingle had evaded me, when I thought I was done with revenge at the time. Little did I know, I had been far from it…

I still have the medal. At first, I claimed not to be worthy of it, but Coolidge insisted. The Gadorian crest was embedded on the medal, and I would occasionally look back upon it, even after the Knights labeled me a traitor for refusing to kill Shirley…

_"I have been given full authority by His Majesty the King," _he had said,_ "My words are his words."_

I still question it. The kind, caring King of Gadoria I had known as a child…did he really give those orders? Killing another human being or capturing them with spies for the glory of their country…for as long as I could remember, the King never thought of things like that. He was a gentle, wise man with a love for peace and chivalry. Even in my brief visit to Gadoria all that time ago to visit my parents' grave…the entire country had changed, not only with the fall of Mt. Zeriques, but with the people, as well.

Though, it was no use to worry about the past…Senel tells me that time and time again. Even after all this time, I still don't heed his advice. Thinking of him reminded me that I needed to get back home, but…something tugged at me. I wasn't sure what. But before I was even aware of it, my legs had begun to move, past our house, past the Fountain Plaza, past the bakery and Raynard's home… until I ended up on the path towards Fallingwater and the beach. The view is always beautiful as you walk the paths at sundown, watching the tiny silhouettes of the townspeople head home to their families. As I passed through, I kept asking myself why I wasn't doing the same. The red evening sky faded to dark purples and blues. And still, I pressed on. Past the bubbling Lumen Spring, past the small grove, and onto the tiny beach. A large rock jutted out, near the back of the area—occasionally Coolidge and I would sit there and talk, listening to the sea and being as far away from the water as possible. (I…don't enjoy being too close to water, but the sound of the sea has always been calming to me.)

It was a strange place, this beach. It was small, but the townsfolk always enjoyed coming here on days when the monsters at Fallingwater were few and far-between. Even my friends and I occasionally take trips here, on days where we can all meet up and talk like old times. They've all been occupied with different things since the mist disappeared with Grune, though, haven't they?

It's difficult to get us all together anymore. Coolidge does his work with Raynard as assistant sheriff, while Raynard himself has been spending more time in his scientific studies. Shirley was happy to be chosen as an ambassador between the Ferines and Orerines and continues to work with Madam Musette and the Ferines elder to bring peace towards the races. Sandor and his group continue to live in the center of the city, though they've gone from being bandits to "treasure hunters" on a suggestion from Norma. Norma will help them every so often, going on little adventures with Sandor; sometimes I'll see them leaving the city together one morning and before I know it they'll have returned at dusk with something new…mostly scars on Sandor. Other than that, I'm not all that sure what Norma does in her spare time besides…well, spreading unnecessary rumors. I'll see those two with Jay every now and then, as well, who is still making good profit in the information business to benefit the Oresoren Village. Everyone does something that makes them happy. They don't ask for much more than that (aside from Norma).

And then…there was me. I work alongside Coolidge on most matters concerning the city itself and its well-being. We'll usually take care of the monsters that get too close to town for the day, and report it by dusk. I have also been asked on several occasions to aid Curtis and Isabella in leading the city guard, but…I'm not sure I would fit in very well with their "unique" way of protecting the city. It is satisfying, helping others…that's the duty of a knight.

_A knight._

…But I have never really been a knight, have I? My parents…they were proud knights. They served their homeland and its people admirably. And when I think that…the emptiness comes back. I wonder from time to time if they would be proud of me for all I've done…or perhaps they would be ashamed to see me turning my back on my countrymen and living here, on a land that knows no allegiance to just one country. What…would they have wanted?

_What would I have wanted? Have I done enough? What else could I have done? – _I can't count how many times I've asked myself that these past few weeks. I wanted to feel like all of my friends did now…carefree, happy to have fulfilled their dreams and overcome their fears. It didn't exclude me; they all helped me send my past fears far away. The fear was gone…but my name still remains. I am still Chloe Valens…I can never run away from that. And as I stared out into the dark, open sea, I wondered how far I was from my homeland. I stayed like that, thinking of everything and anything that I could have done there, all those seas away. Until…

"Chloe?" – An all-too-familiar voice brought me out of my head and back into reality. I couldn't see him all too well in the dark, but I knew it was him nonetheless.

"Coolidge?" I was somewhat surprised, "What are you doing here?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" he asked, shrugging, "Shirley was on her way home when she saw you heading this way. I told her you hadn't been home yet. She got worried and asked me to make sure everything was all right."

"She doesn't need to worry," I shook my head, "I…" I trailed off and couldn't say much else. I honestly didn't have the words to describe what I was feeling.

"Did something happen?" he sat down beside me on the rock, curious to know more.

"No," I told him, "It's just…almost that time of year again."

"The anniversary of your parents' death," he said simply.

"Yes," I replied, "It's almost been seven years now. Even Alcott remembered…though he didn't say much else on the subject."

"It's okay to feel that way, Chloe," Senel told me, looking towards the sea, "It's hard to forget something like that."

"Have you ever…" I started to say, faltering. It took me a while to start again, "Have you ever wanted to change the past, even if it was hopeless? Even if it would change who you are as a person, or your future?"

"Yeah," he said with a sad smile, "I used to want to do that all the time. When Stella died, I always wished and wished I could go back and save her. When Shirley changed into the Merines, I wondered what I could have done to bring her back to normal. And…"

"And?" I looked over at him—his eyes were still glued to the darkening sea.

"And when you ran off to find Arnold…I wondered what I could have done differently, or what I could have said to get the black mist away," he explained, but turned his eyes back to me, jokingly, "I thought you knew all that."

"I-I'm sorry," I mumbled, "It was an odd question to ask…I guess I just needed an answer, even if I already knew what it was."

"You don't have to apologize," Coolidge raised an eyebrow, somewhat amused.

"I…I've felt the same, though," I said, "I can't stop asking myself 'what if?', or thinking that Mother and Father are disappointed in me for having tea with their killer and his daughter. It makes me feel…guilt. As though there's something I still need to do, to redeem the Valens name."

"You've done a lot," he nodded, "But no matter what we do, we can't change the past, no matter how much we want to. And…that's okay."

"It's…okay?" I repeated, focusing on those words.

"If my past wasn't what it was," he started to say, pointing towards the remains of a giant boat, beached in the sand, "Shirley and I never would have met all of you. We probably never would have even made it to the Legacy. Being who I am now…I don't regret the things that happened. I like living here with you and Shirley and the others—I'm always glad to have met everyone. There'll always be things that I won't like, but…it's still me."

"I see," I nodded, taking his words in and examining them carefully, "…I'm always glad to have met you, too—everyone, I mean. I suppose…it's all right to be this way."

"Exactly," nodded Coolidge, "There's only so much you can do…how far can you go for redemption?" The last words struck me—my eyes widened and something seemed to click within me.

"Chloe?" he asked, "Are you okay?"

"It's nothing," I gave a smile, "I'm just surprised that your boat's still there."

"Will told me the kids play on it now," he shrugged, "There's not really much I can do about it."

"I suppose not," I nodded.

"Anyway," he said slowly climbing off the rock, "it's getting dark. We'd better get back home." He offered me a hand, and I gladly took it. He let go, of course, when I was back on the sand.

"By the way," he asked, interested, "What's for dinner?"

…That question often catches me off-guard. Kinds of questions that a man would say to his wife or significant other—I can't help but ask myself if he realizes the implications of things like me cooking for him every so often, or the very idea of living with him…And he wonders why Norma makes stories up about us. But that side of him…for some reason, I've never really minded it.

"Fish stew bread bowl," I said, "Although we'll need to get some ingredients on the way back."

He gave me this big smile, as if he were just a child and I was cooking his favorite meal…he happily agreed to come with me to get the ingredients. As I followed an enthusiastic Coolidge home, I gazed back at the sea once more before we left, with those words still echoing in my mind:

_ "How far can you go for redemption?"_

I turned to Coolidge on our way back with the phrase still haunting me.

And…with a heavy heart, I knew what had to be done.

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…and that was chapter one. Honestly I don't have a lot to say about it but I can say it's way better than the two pages of whatever I smacked on Microsoft Word six years ago. Although it's been a really long time since I've written these characters so bear with me here...if you have any suggestions, I'd like to hear them. I don't know how often I can update this due to work/other personal stuff, but I do know that I don't really have many other writing projects to do/games to play in May-the writing group I'm in is trying to take more time in doing stuff and probably won't update with the next prompt until June, and FFXIV's phase three doesn't start until then, either…so I might be able to get another chapter or two out sooner or later…hopefully I'll stay inspired this time, at least.

Review if you feel like it. It would make me happy to see some life in this fandom. :P

And most of all, **thank you very much for reading**. I always appreciate you guys who take the time to read stuff!


	2. Run in the Middle of the Storm

I wrote this a lot faster than I thought I would…14 pages in like 3 days of 2-4 hour writing sessions) is really good for me holy moly. But yeah here's chapter two…do enjoy! Also you might notice from the chapter titles that they're both names from ToL OST tracks. I'm doing that on purpose 'cause I thought it'd be clever. :D They might not always be EXACTLY like the OST song titles to fit the plot (as you'll see for the title in Chapter 3 when that comes), but it'll be in a similar fashion.

Anyway I'll stop now so you can read.

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Ch. 2. – "Run in the Middle of the Storm" - _.senel coolidge._

I don't think I'd be able to forget that day—the seventh anniversary of Chloe's parents' death.

It was a week after I found Chloe at the beach and we talked there. The morning seemed pretty normal—I woke up (after being yelled at by Chloe to get ready or we'd be late…), I got dressed, I ran downstairs, and I grabbed a slice of toast left over from the few pieces Chloe made.

"All right," I said, "I'm ready when you are." But…instead of hearing her say something like "right!" or nod or tell me my shirt's on backwards (what?) …she didn't say or do anything. I looked over to see if everything was all right, but she was busy at the table, looking through a newspaper—"The Gadorian Herald".

"Chloe," I said, "we should get going."

"O-oh. Right," she nodded and put the paper back on the table as she headed towards the door, "Let's go." I was going to follow out the door with her, but…I noticed a bunch of belongings and packed bags sitting there…they were all Chloe's.

"…Wait a minute," I pointed to Chloe's belongings, "Why's all your stuff here? Are you going somewhere?"

She didn't say anything.

When we headed out and into the city, Chloe was pretty quiet most of the way to Will's…usually I'm the quiet one…I'm not really a morning person.

"Is something up?" I asked, "Ever since you started reading those papers, you've been acting weird."

"I'm all right," she said, giving me a smile I knew she wasn't feeling on the inside, "I just want to stay up-to-date with Gadorian politics, is all." We didn't have time to argue about it, though—we already stood by Will, who was in his front yard, looking serious as ever. His arms were crossed…that was usually a bad sign.

"Ah, I was wondering where you two were," he began, "I was worried something had happened."

"We're fine," I told him, but I looked over to Chloe. Something was going on with her and she wasn't telling me what. I was getting frustrated about it, but…there was nothing I could do. I wasn't going to force it out of her. _If she wants to tell me,_ I thought, _she'll do it when she's ready. _

"Good," Will nodded, "There's been reports of a pack of wild Egg Bears roaming around the West entrance to the city, by Fallingwater. I'd like you two to take care of them and patrol the place for the day, in case of any other stragglers. Stay there until dusk as usual, but…I've heard talk of a bad storm coming. If the weather happens to worsen while you're out, report back to me. Understood?"

"Got it," I said, "We'll come right back if it gets bad."

"Chloe?" Will turned to her—like she had done before with me, she completely ignored Will. He had to call her name again to make sure she was listening.

"Y-yes, understood," she bowed slightly to apologize, "We'll have it taken care of. Also, Raynard…"

"Hm?" he asked, "What is it?"

"For tonight," she started to say, "I know it was only supposed to be the seven of us and Harriet, but…would it be all right if you were to send an invite Elsa, as well? I'd like to meet with her like I usually do in some form today."

"That will be fine. I'll have Harriet deliver the message."

"Thank you."

I hadn't realized this until it happened, but the front door to Will's house had been wide open…Harriet must've been in the front room and overheard us, because she ran right out looking none too happy to hear it.

"Dad," she put her hands on her hips, "Why am I always the messenger? I don't mind or anything, but I want to help you cook tonight, too!" My eyes widened. The words "Harriet" and "cook" should probably never be used in a sentence together, ever. I could understand the look of dread on Will's face as he tried to make some kind of excuse.

"That's, ah…" he started, "Well, I'd rather you do that…and I'd also rather you tidied up before tonight. I…I'll handle the cooking."

"Wait," I stopped him, "What's all this about tonight?"

"You guys do this every month to catch up!" Harriet looked over at me matter-of-factly, "You don't remember, Senel?"

"It's not that," I told her, "I just can't believe another month's gone by already."

"Yes, time sure has flown…" Will looked up, "It's been nearly two and a half years since everything started."

"It's been that long already…?" I said to myself, almost amazed. It's strange…even time seems to move faster on the Legacy.

"Enough talk, though," Will broke my train of thought, "I'll see you two in the afternoon."

We said our goodbyes to Will for the time being and the two of us headed out with nothing much to say. Usually, Chloe would be trying to find out more about the monsters, or ask if they've harmed anyone who needs assistance during Will's briefing. But…other than telling Will "understood"…there was nothing. It was like I had told her…ever since she started reading those newspapers from Gadoria, she'd been acting strange. I know I'd told myself to wait until she's ready to tell me, but something pulled at me that day. Something told me to just stop her and ask her what was wrong until she finally admitted it to me. Because…she would always tell me if something was going on…After everything that happened with the black mist, we promised that we would talk to each other if something was wrong—we always seemed to help each other and understand each other if one of us had a problem. And, for some reason, her distance about all this was almost like a Demon Fist to the face.

But I shrugged it off for the moment; before I realized it we were at the entrance to Fallingwater, and just as Will had told us, a pack of angry Egg Bears weren't far off from the city. Even though there were a good bunch of them, they didn't seem like very much of a challenge.

"Chloe," I said as we neared the two main bears—probably the leaders of the pack, "Take the one on the left. I'll distract the other and try to knock him out while you do."

"Right," she'd nodded, but the usual determination in her voice wasn't there. I couldn't do anything about it while we were working, though—I knew that much, and charged right into the bear with Chloe following behind to the left.

I'd thought the bears wouldn't give too much of a fight, but sometimes I can underestimate the power of the monsters here. Even though the mist disappeared, it doesn't mean the feeling of anger has left the monsters on the Legacy along with it. The bears charged at the both of us, and I was almost surprised when the one I was fighting managed to scratch me with its claws.

The bear tried to take the moment I had off-guard for one more attack, but I knew better that time around and got him on the ground for a final throw. He was heavy, but I managed to throw him back a ways—his back hit the bark of one of the nearby trees and when I stood in front of him, ready for another attack, he ran away back into the nearby forests, where the bears usually stay…or at least, that's what I'd hoped. My side was clear, but Chloe's…

Chloe was still fighting her bear, who had managed to get a couple of scratches on her, too. While I was on my way towards her, she threw the bear off with a Demon Fang and was able to throw in a Sword Rain before he could get up. Somehow, though, it managed to still stand, and it let out a roar. In that moment, she gave it one final stab to the chest, but didn't have time to look at the growing shadow behind her—the bear from earlier had come back for the other.

"Behind you!" I called out to her. Before she could even react, the last bear swung his arm and knocked Chloe out a few feet away.

"Damn!" I heard her curse under her breath; it didn't take long for her to get back up. The two of us looked at each other with a nod, and in its fury, it didn't see us both coming at once. With one final Demon Fang from the both of us, it fell to the ground with a thud and we were able to knock it out.

The bear's roar from earlier must've meant something, though, because not a minute after the two were down, more began to show up. Chloe and I did the usual routine for packs like that—she knocked them down as I threw them back out—and it didn't take all that long to get the place quiet again. It's something I'm always thankful to Chloe for…we don't need to speak to tell each other how we're going to fight something once we've started. Over time, I guess we just sort of made that connection and acted on it.

When the last of them was back in the forest and it was just the two of us on the path to Lumen Spring again, we started our patrol—we usually planned to split up to cover more ground, and Chloe was on her way towards her side, but-

"Chloe, wait," I stopped her, "You're still hurt from the fight."

"I'm fine, Coolidge," she shook her head, "It's only a scratch. I have gels if I need them."

"Then you might as well use one," I started to say, "Because that scratch looks like it's bleeding." She looked over at it quickly and realized I was right—her "scratch" was bleeding badly. With a look of…defeat, maybe, she took out an Apple Gel and ate it there right in front of me. She stayed right where she was afterwards, maybe so she could show me that the bleeding cuts had faded into scratches.

"…Are you sure you'll be all right patrolling your side alone today?" I asked, "You're not yourself today."

"I told you several times, Coolidge, it's nothing," Chloe argued, "We should be patrolling right now, not just standing idly by."

…And even though I would have liked to argue it, with a 'woosh' of her cape, she was already off to her side. I did the same and went on my usual route, looking back every so often to make sure she wasn't getting lost in her thoughts. Maybe I was just imagining it. Maybe she was all right and I was just analyzing too much. But…the hours passed and I couldn't get what she said out of my mind. Saying things like "it's nothing"…through all of my experiences here, I knew without a doubt that that always meant the opposite. And I couldn't just throw my doubt away like it was nothing. Even I felt a little too into my thoughts at some points on my walks back and forth—I'd wondered if she'd spread that to me without realizing it.

The afternoon came on quick, and just as Will predicted, dark clouds started moving in, covering the sunlight and bringing a shadow over Fallingwater and the city below. It was quiet at first, but I thought I could hear rumbles of thunder not long after it'd covered the entire sky. Chloe, who wasn't really fond of that kind of stuff, ran right back to me when she'd heard it.

"We should go back and report to Raynard," she said…and something sounded sad about it.

"I hope you're not planning to act like that at Will's tonight, too," I told her straight out, "Or at least tell us what's going on." For a second, she'd looked surprised…but she didn't even say anything to counter it. She just walked on towards the city as if I hadn't said a word. But I followed.

And that's when the rain started.

The two of us ran into Will's house when we finally got there; the rain had been light at first, but it began to pound down as soon as we passed through his door; we were lucky to have gotten there when we did. Will came into the front room when he heard the door shut, and he had some…pink oven mitts on his hands.

"Sorry about that," he said, "Just taking the last dish out of the oven. What's the status on the Egg Bears?"

"They've been taken care of," Chloe said in a strange monotone, "No reports of any other suspicious activity during our patrol."

"Good, good," nodded Will, "Then come in—they're a little early, but…everyone's already here, along with Elsa."

"Thank you, Raynard," she replied and turned to me, "I'll be in there shortly. You go on ahead, Coolidge."

"…Okay," I said, passing through the doors and feeling…some kind of strange dread. Although…seeing my friends all sit in the main room eased that a bit.

When these monthly dinner meetings happen, we always come early…maybe it's because we're all happy to catch up with each other and tell each other different stories—past, present, or future. And everyone was being their usual selves: Shirley was sitting quietly on one of the extra chairs Will put in the room for the crowd along with Elsa, watching Moses and Jay argue about…something. Norma threw the occasional snide remark in when she could and laughed all the same when Moses acted up on it. Harriet tried to give orders to Jay to stop arguing and eat the food she'd made for him, which, weirdly enough, he always followed.

"Senny!" cried Norma in that high-pitched voice of hers, "You're just in time! This has _gotta_ be an all-time low for Red!"

"Yes," nodded Jay, amused, "Even I thought he would have known something like _that_."

"I didn't _know_!" Moses tried to defend himself, "Y'all are bein' way too hard on me…"

"What doesn't he know?" I asked, curious.

"He, um…" Shirley tried not to laugh, "He didn't know that your left hand made an 'L' when you keep your thumb and pointer finger up…"

"No one ever told me!" Moses yelled, "And it ain't even that important! It's not like I ever had to know! You're jus' tryin' to turn a little thing into a big deal!"

"That's it?" I asked, raising an eyebrow…I honestly didn't think it was that big of a deal, "I didn't learn until later, either. Stella taught me all that."

"She did?" Shirley said, surprised, "I had no idea…"

"Yeah," I said, sitting down on one of the couches, "When I was fighting with Vaclav's army as a kid…I never really understood the directions they gave me. I just followed everyone else. I probably didn't learn the difference between right and left until Stella taught me."

"Wow," Norma actually looked sympathetic for once, "That's rough, Senny."

_"What?!"_ cried Moses, "Why'd you feel bad for _him _and not me?!"

"Because," Jay shrugged, "he actually has a reason for it."

"Jay!" Harriet crossed her arms, "Be quiet and eat the rest of the sandwich I made you!"

"Y-yes, ma'am." – I wonder every so often how she even gets him to do that…

"You're all heartless…" there was a dark look on Moses's face for a second, but it cheered right on up, "But don't you worry! One day, you'll all be thankin' me! Like…'Oh, Moses, you're so smart!' or 'Red, I didn't know you were such a great guy!' You'll see! It'll happen real—_ow!_"

None of us saw Will sneak behind Moses until he bonked the poor guy on the head. I kind of felt bad; even though we all do things like that, no one deserves a whack on the head from Will…it hurts a lot more than you'd think. He was holding a giant plate of something, too—some kind of fancy vegetable sandwich we'd gotten in our group's recipe book, back when we were first travelling the Legacy and that wandering baker Mimi followed us everywhere.

"Quiet down and eat," he said, putting the plate down on the table for everyone—he looked around the room before he spoke again, "That is…once everyone gets here."

"That's right!" Elsa finally chimed in—she'd been quiet this whole time, "Chloe's not here yet! Where is she, Senel?"

"That's odd…" Will turned to me, "She was in the front room with you, wasn't she, Senel?"

"Yeah, but…" I looked around the room, leaning into the table and keeping my voice down. Everyone did the same when I spoke up again, "There's something wrong."

"Something's wrong with Chloe?!" Elsa gasped. She realized how loud she was and covered her mouth, coming closer to where we were all listening, "Is she all right? She's not sick, is she?"

"It's not like that," I shook my head, "She's been acting like this all week. I know what day it is today—I know she's got a lot on her mind because of it."

"She was acting like that last week when we had tea, too…" Elsa looked down, "What day is it today? Is it something bad?"

"It's…" I started to say—but I realized who I was talking to and didn't need to say much more, "Today's the 7th anniversary of Chloe's parents'…"

"Oh…" Elsa looked genuinely concerned, "She didn't tell me…maybe that's why Father's been so distant this past week…"

"But it's different this time," I told everyone, "If there was something on her mind…she'd have told me. She hasn't said a word about it. She's just been reading Gadorian newspapers every day this week. She's been distant from everyone who cares about her. And…"

"And?" Moses asked, stuffing a piece of sandwich in his mouth—he must've been too hungry to wait. Will was ready to give him another whack on the head, but he saw it coming and moved as far away as he could from that clenched fist.

"And, this morning…" I started, "Her bags were all packed up by the door."

"Maybe she's breakin' up with ya," chuckled Moses.

"…She's what?" I asked…I had no idea what he was talking about. Norma wasn't far behind on whatever it was Moses said.

"My thoughts exactly, Red…which brings us to one question: what did you _do_, Senny?!"

"Senel…" Shirley gave me this angry look…and she doesn't do that often, "You didn't hurt her feelings, did you?"

"You've got it all wrong! I didn't do anything!" I shook my head.

"Well, that may be your interpretation of it, being who you are," Jay shrugged, "But I'm sure Chloe would have something to say to that."

"…What are you talking about?" I asked, honestly confused. All I knew was that they were all in on something I wasn't…and it didn't feel all that good to be left out of it, "If you all know something about why Chloe's acting like this, I'd like to hear it!"

"We know as much as you do," Will sighed, "But this shouldn't be taken lightly—we can't just ask her straight out as if we were all Moses."

"Much as I hate to say it," Moses added, disappointed, "Will's right. She's as much a part of the family as anyone else here—but you can't just bring somethin' like that up. It ain't right to go pryin' on painful memories if someone's not willin' to tell."

"But then how will we know what's wrong?" asked Elsa, "What if she—"

"…Elsa, it's all right."

Elsa couldn't finish. The door to the front room opened and closed, and Chloe walked over towards us, with a strange, silent determination. There was a cold, sad look in her eyes…and the distant stare was gone.

"I think we're about to find out," I heard Norma whisper to someone—probably Jay or Moses. None of us had the words to speak first, until Will was finally able to start everything off.

"Welcome back," Will motioned towards an empty spot on the sofa next to me as thunder rumbled outside, "We were waiting for you."

"Thank you," Chloe said—she paused for a few seconds until determination rushed back into her voice, "There's something I'd like to speak with you all about." The looming dread from earlier crept back. This was what I was waiting for, right? I wanted her to talk to us about what was going on, right? But…why did everything feel so ominous?

"What is it, Chloe?" Shirley asked. There was a long silence. We all stared with bated breath, waiting for some kind of answer. When the answer did come, it came after a long, deep breath…

"…No matter where I go, no matter what I do, or how I live my life…I will always be Chloe Valens. The blood of the House of Valens will coarse through my veins, and in that lies something far more important. After seven years, after the fading mist and hatred…I was finally able to see clearly. I was finally able to realize what it is I needed to do for the Valens name."

"C, what're you talking about?!" Norma worriedly asked.

"Even if I'd like to stay with you all…" She paused and hesitated, but stared straight at me once she was ready to keep going, "I need to go back. I'm returning to Gadoria. I don't know how long it might take, but…I will do everything in my power to restore what was lost."

"You're not implying…" Jay started to say. He got quiet before he could finish, but Chloe finished for him:

"I'm going to find a way to recreate the House of Valens. Not for revenge…but for myself. For my parents…so perhaps they can rest in peace, knowing their name will live on…that's all. I'm sorry it's on such short notice, but…I need to be departing tonight. I'd been planning this for a while, but…I didn't have the courage to tell you all until now."

No one moved. No one spoke—not even Elsa could say a word. We were all…shocked. And as the silence grew, my blood began to boil as all of the pieces of the puzzle came together. She'd planned this whole thing out on her own…she didn't want to tell us. She knew we'd stop her…But, if that's true…why_ wasn't_ anyone stopping her?! What was she doing, going back there?! She'd said so many times before, "I want to be here, with my friends."…So why now, all of a sudden?!

"You're going alone…?" Shirley managed to ask; I could tell she was concerned.

"Yes," she nodded, "…This is my burden. It's…something I need to be able to do alone."

"How will we know you're okay?" Harriet piped up from the back of the room. Chloe was quick with an answer…and that wasn't making me any happier about it.

"I'll try to stay in contact with you all," she said, "I'll send letters to Coolidge's house when I'm able."

"Chloe…are you serious?" I asked—there were so many things rushing through my head, so many different things I could have said. But that was the only thing that came out. I hadn't even noticed how tightly my fists were clenched, or how they were shaking.

"…I'm sorry, Senel," she turned her eyes away from me, "But this is my only choice. This is what I need to do." I knew she meant it—she doesn't call me by my first name unless it's important…

"Elsa," she started again, "I'm sorry I couldn't have tea with you tonight…I hope being with everyone here will make up for it while I'm gone."

"C-Chloe…!" Elsa looked like she was about to cry.

"And Raynard," she looked back to Will, "I apologize for missing the next few meetings."

I turned to Will, just as speechless as everyone else. He saw me staring and gave me a kind of…Will-ish look. The kind of look that says, "it's up to you." And when Chloe silently walked off, back out into the front room, everything moved again. And I ran.

"Dammit, Chloe!" I mumbled under my breath…She'd never tried to do anything this reckless before! I slammed the front room door open to find her in the doorway, ready to run in the middle of the storm. Without thinking, I grabbed her hand.

"What do you think you're doing?!" I asked, furious. She turned her head back a little to see where I'd come from.

"I…I've already told you. I'm—"

"Like hell you are!" I yelled—I tried keep going as calmly as I could, "This isn't like you, Chloe. You don't need to have someone telling you you're a knight in order to be one! To me…to everyone, you've always been a knight, and you always will be!"

"I'm sorry," she looked away—her voice was shaky, "I've made up my mind…but I'm glad."

"What?"

"I'm glad I was able to hear that from you…" she said quietly. In a split second, I had weakened my grip on her hand, and she took the opportunity to run right into the storm as thunder rumbled over the city. I saw her run, only for a second, until the darkness of the storm swallowed her up.

"Wait!" I yelled out over the pouring rain, _"Chloe!" _I called her name over and over, but the thunder and heavy rain drowned it out…everyone inside must've heard me, though—they all walked up towards the front room, watching the open door as it swung from side to side in the wind.

"She's taking this all on by herself…" I told them, "Why didn't she even ask us about it?"

"Perhaps it's something she didn't want us to get dragged into," Will put his hand on my shoulder, "She may think she's being selfless, but…it's more recklessness than anything."

"We need to go after her!" Norma cried, "We can't let her just run off on some adventure by herself!"

"There's no need for all of us to go," Jay said, calm as ever, "If anything, it would be more effective if only Senel tried to stop her."

"Just me?" I asked. I turned to see everyone looking at me expectantly.

"Yes," Will nodded, "It would be a bit overbearing if we all charged for her at once…it'd be just as reckless."

"That's right!" Moses chimed in, "But if anyone can do it, Senel can! He's done it before, an' I'm sure he can do it again!"

"Please hurry, Senel!" Elsa was in tears, "I don't want her to go!"

"C'mon, Senny!" Norma nearly pushed me out the door, "Go to her already!"

"I don't know which way she went!" I told them all as quickly as I could, trying to save time.

"You said her bags were packed, didn't you?" Shirley looked out into the rain, worried, "Maybe she's back at your house! Please, Senel, you have to check there! You need to find her before she leaves!"

"All right," I nodded to them all, "I'll do whatever it takes to get her back."

"Hurry, Senel!" Shirley yelled as I ran into the storm, "You'll miss something very important if she leaves!" Important…I wasn't sure exactly what she meant, but Chloe was an important friend…I wasn't going to just sit down and watch her go like this! The rain was pouring against me, and I was probably soaked not even a second after I ran into the muddy road. Down the street past Will's, past the fountain plaza and to the right, almost slipping and falling into the mud on the turn…I made a mad dash to my house, hoping that Shirley's hunch was right…

"Please…" I said to no one in particular, "Please let her be there."

The blurry, dark image of my house was a relief to see among the rain and thunder, and with the last bit of breath I sprinted through the door, nearly breaking it off of the hinges as I crashed my way in. The house was dark, and I was soaked—I gasped for breath as I looked around, hoping to find someone there.

'No one in particular' must've listened, because she was still there. Something tiny was in her hand, along with her bags.

"…Why did you follow me?" she asked.

"I won't let you just run away from us," I told her, "How long do you expect to just 'disappear' to the mainland?"

"…I don't know," she said simply, ready to hand the small thing she was holding over—a letter, "This should explain everything."

"I'm not going to take your goodbye letter," I nearly yelled, throwing my fist against the wall, "I told you when your mist faded away…I told you that you could rest. Why are you doing this?"

"You…you couldn't possibly understand what this feels like."

There was silence. Thunder rumbled again—but I was ready to say what I had to:

"Then make me understand, Chloe."

"…Coolidge? What are you—?"

"If your mind's made up…if you really have to do this…then I'm not letting you take it all on by yourself. I'm coming with you," I said, running up to my room and getting some things together as soon as I was done telling her. I rushed to pack everything together, trying to remember all of the important things I would need.

"You can't be serious!" she argued, "Gadoria's much too dangerous right now—it's not just a matter of monsters to exterminate! It's—"

"That's exactly why I have to go with you," I said from my room, getting the last few things together and stuffing them in an old laundry bag…When it was all in there, I ran down the stairs with it over my back, staring Chloe right in the eyes as I stepped down:

"You can't win," I said, "I'm going with you, whether you like it or not." And…when I said that…everything started to change in Chloe. Her determined eyes became weaker and…full of tears. She dropped everything she was carrying. And before I even knew it—

She'd run right into me and embraced me…I didn't really expect it.

"Why…?" I heard her through a sob, "Why are you doing this?"

Before I even thought about it, my arms were wrapped around her, too.

"Because," I said, "You're important to all of us."

"Ooh, then let us come too!" a familiar voice said from what seemed like nowhere…Chloe quickly let go of me when she heard it, picking up her things again and...looking away from me, for some reason. I think what confused me more, though, was the fact that Norma stood in the rainy doorway along with everyone else (minus Harriet and Elsa), soaked. They all ran in to hide from the rain as soon as she blew their cover.

"Bubbles!" Moses made a face at Norma, shaking out his hair like a wet Galf, "Why'd you sell us out?!"

"Do you really want to stand out _there _all night?!" she whined, "I'd rather get found out than catch a cold!"

"…Huh," Moses shrugged, "I didn't mind."

"That's because you're part animal, Moses…" Jay gave his signature smirk.

"Everyone…what are you all doing here?" Chloe asked as calmly as she could—her voice was completely different than only a minute or two before.

"I just said!" Norma threw her fist in the air, "We're coming with you!"

"…Now wait just a second," Will turned to an enthusiastic Norma, ready to whack her on the head, "I don't think she needs all of us. The challenges in Gadoria may be difficult…but I think Senel and Chloe will be able to overcome them by themselves."

"What?!" Norma's eyes drooped, "Why not?!"

"…You were all listening?" Chloe gasped—I thought I saw her face go red for a second, but it might have just been my imagination.

"That's the only way to gather information," Jay sighed, "Not to mention…Norma kept whining for us to follow Senel."

"C'mon, Teach, we_ have_ to go! We finally get the chance go on another adventure and reunite the Fun Bunch after, like…a year, and you're just gonna turn it down?! Where's your sense of—_ow!_"

"That isn't for us to decide," Will replied sternly.

"I think…" Shirley peeped, "I think they'll be all right by themselves."

"What?! Shirl, not you, too!" I nearly had to cover my ears from Norma screaming so much…

"I trust Senel," she said, "I know he'll keep Chloe safe. If this is what Chloe really wants to do…then I don't think it's right of us to deny her."

"Shirley…" I heard Chloe say to herself—she was smiling, "…Thank you."

"I dunno if I like the idea of jus' Senel and Chloe goin'," Moses explained, "'cause I hate missin' out on the action. But…if everyone's sayin' they'll be all right, then I ain't gonna argue."

"Agreed," said Jay (I was kind of surprised…), "They're…family. As long as we keep them in our thoughts, then…"

"Then we know they'll be all right," Shirley gave Jay a smile.

"Good," Will nodded, "Then it's settled. Senel and Chloe will—"

"Y-you're kidding!" Norma looked pretty down, "But…but…!"

"Norma…" I actually kind of felt bad for her.

"But who am I gonna make cute stories about now, if they're gone?!"

…Never mind.

I was going to say something to that, but Chloe took the words right out of my mouth:

"I think everyone could use a break from those," she said. Everyone looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

"Then I have no choice!" Norma looked almost…evil when she said that, "If you guys aren't stopping them, then…then…!" She didn't finish right then, but she ran to the open door of the house and took a deep breath, yelling out only one, terrifying phrase into the quieting storm.

_ "Sing_, damn you!_ Sing!"_

"Oh, no…" I mumbled. And almost as fast as I'd said that…a strangely catchy-yet-annoying beat started to play from nowhere. We all looked around and wondered where it was coming from, but it was no use. _They_ were coming. And there was no way to stop it.

_"Hey, yo, crazy little eren, you should know my name well by now~!"_

…The Bantam Bouncers. Almost like lightning, the Bouncers—Curtis and Isabella—charged in, looking for some kind of emergency to fix.

"Sister!" bowed Curtis, "We have answered your call, and will sing like we have never sung before, in the name of love! So, what is it you need?"

"Stop those two!" Norma pointed angrily at Chloe and I, "They're gonna go…_elope_ or something!"

"Wh-what?!" Chloe nearly jumped when she heard that, "That's not it at all! Coolidge and I are going to the mainland—he's volunteered to accompany me as I redeem the Valens name."

"Hmm," thought Curtis, putting a hand on his chin, "A journey of justice! I see no need to stop an effort so valiant!"

"Wh-what?! B-but…they're gonna need us, too, right?! The mainland's super dangerous with just two people…right?!"

"Well, that depends!" Curtis bellowed, "If one was to plan a journey to our lovely homeland of Rexalia, then yes, a larger group would be ideal!"

"Hah!" Norma looked at the two of us, "Told you so!"

"Norma," Jay interrupted, "They're going to _Gadoria_. Rexalia is quite a ways from there."

"Ahh, Gadoria!" Curtis nodded intensely, "A beautiful country…A land filled with justice and valor! Knights and chivalry!" he kept on going about how great Gadoria was, but in the meantime, Isabella answered the actual question.

"Gadoria…as long as you stay there exclusively," she explained, "The two of you should be all right."

"Huh?!" Norma nearly collapsed.

"However," Isabella continued, "The political status of Gadoria is…currently fragile. Its Duke has been gaining a dangerous amount of military power, and Her Excellency has reported to us that the King has been ill for quite some time."

"So it was true…" Chloe said, "The _Gadorian Herald_ mentioned a rumor like that."

"Is that why you've been reading them?" I asked her.

"Yes," she told me, "But the process involving the knightly laws shouldn't have changed greatly. For now…we should be all right."

"That's correct, sister!" Curtis finally jumped out of his rant on Gadoria, "So go! Fight for that justice you so strongly believe in! And continue fighting, both of you, as soldiers of LOVE!"

"…Sure," I shook my head, "Thanks."

"And don't forget, brother!" he looked back at me, "If ever you are in trouble on the mainland, if you say 'sing', we shall sing as we have never sung before, as we are _always _watching!"

"I hate to break this all up," Jay walked up past the bouncers, "But if you _are _heading to the mainland, then you may want to hurry and go to Port-on-Rage. If I'm not mistaken, the boat en route to Gadoria leaves shortly."

"Damn!" Chloe looked out the window and started picking her stuff up, "Coolidge, we need to hurry!"

"We'll take care of this one," Will pointed to a nearly distraught Norma, "You two go on ahead!"

"Right!" I nodded, beckoning Chloe to follow, "Let's go, Chloe! To Port-on-Rage!" After one last quick goodbye to everyone, the two of us ran as fast as we could out of the house and into the damp evening—the rain had let up a bit, and everyone else ran out the door to see us go, waving and yelling out their goodbyes.

"We'll let Elsa know you'll be all right!" I heard Shirley's voice echo out into the night.

"Don' forget to write!" Moses followed.

"Be safe!" Will called out.

And with those well-wishes in our thoughts, the two of us left the city with high hopes, looking at each other every so often with the confidence we needed in our hearts.

Our new journey was just beginning.

* * *

Bam. And that's chapter two. I don't want to give exact dates on when 3 is coming out, but it'll probably be soon…I've been really paranoid when it comes to writing it because I want to finish this story maaaayyyyybe before the end of the month. I doubt that's gonna happen, though.

Again, **thank you very much for reading**, and feedback is always greatly appreciated! (…please.)


	3. The Meeting Place is the Dragon's Ire

…okay, so funny story about chapter 3? It was actually like 22 pages originally but I usually don't make chapters that long unless it's like the last chapter…so I ended up splitting Chapter 3 into Chapters 3 and 4, because there was a LOT of stuff going on in both chapters and I didn't want it to get confusing. And now I have two chapters done, so go me.

Anyways, enough talk—the PoV torch is still Senel's, so enjoy his…Senel-ness. And enjoy the chapter! (also just a little note if you didn't already catch it: the original song that the chapter name was based off of was the Werites Beacon theme, _The Meeting Place is the Fountain Plaza_, but like I mentioned last time, I changed it up to fit the story. What is the _Dragon's Ire _mentioned in the title? Read on and discover that for yourself!)

* * *

_Ch. 3. – "The Meeting Place is the Dragon's Ire" - .senel coolidge._

Even though it was early nighttime, the boats and the crowds at Port-on-Rage didn't fade—it was just as bustling as it usually was during the daytime, flooded with people from Werites Beacon and all over the mainland. You could still see the effects of the passing storm on the port; the floorboards were still dark from the rain and people were stepping in little puddles here and there around the entrance. Boats taking trips to Raging Bay were on the east side, while the boats to the mainland were docked to the west. A good number of them were docked on the mainland side, and people were boarding and disembarking on each of the vessels.

"The boat to Gadoria should be the furthest one on the west side," Chloe said, "We should hurry." I nodded to her, and we both carried our things with us towards the mainland side of the port. The boats we passed were all ornate Rexalian vessels, named after different nobles and past Sovereigns—I think we might've even passed one called "the Musette"…does she know they're naming boats after her?

The Gadorian boat was styled differently, though; it was a giant passenger ship, piled on top with a few smokestacks. The smoke was already billowing out of them, so we didn't have time to do much else but board. Luckily, there was still a line of people waiting to board…as we got in line, I noticed Chloe's hands start shaking a little…What do you expect from someone who can't swim?

"We'll be fine," I told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. I think she jumped a little when she felt it, and it didn't help that we were getting closer towards the boat and the water, "I won't let you drown, if that's what you're worried about."

"I-I'll be fine," she looked over to me with her brow furrowed…her cheeks might've been red or something, too, but it might've just been the light from the docks. It didn't matter, though-no matter what I told her, I knew she was going to be nervous about being on the water.

"Remind me to give you swimming lessons when we get back," I said. I don't think she was too excited about the idea of swimming lessons, because she gave me the _"Coolidge, don't you dare"_ look. But…I think they would probably help her more than they'd hurt her.

I couldn't really say anything else about it, though. We were already passing through luggage inspection and once our things had been looked through, we stepped over the large boarding plank and onto the giant Gadorian ship.

"Your cabin will be in Corridor B," one of the deckhands said as we boarded, "on the port side. Taking in account the position of the Legacy, we will arrive in Baltoga by late morning." We thanked him and headed on over to the port side of the ship (the left, if you didn't know).

"Baltoga…" I said the name again, "Wasn't that the city Vaclav fired the Nerifes cannon on?"

"That's right," Chloe nodded, "Baltoga is the capital city—that's where we're headed. Mt. Zeriques may be gone, but the city still stands, thanks to Stella...she's a hero to many Gadorians." I heard her hesitate before she mentioned Stella, but it was always good to hear her name…to know that she was still remembered.

"I'm glad," I said, smiling. Chloe looked back at me for some reason...but her expression was…really calm.

We didn't say much else—most of the other conversation had to do with Chloe and I trying to find our cabin…it must've taken about ten minutes for us to even find the _entrance_ to the cabin area; there were so many doors we didn't know which one led where. Once we did, we found our room easily (thank goodness…)—it was a tiny, two-bed room with a small chest of drawers and a lamp between them. We took all of our things and put them by the beds—Chloe took the one on the left, and I took the one on the right. As soon as that was done I couldn't help but crash right on my bed…I heard Chloe laughing in the background as she sat on the edge of hers.

"Tired?" she asked, smiling calmly…it was nice to see her smiling again…I don't think I'd seen it all week.

"I think this is the first real break I've gotten all day," I told her, "It's nice to finally lie down."

"…That's probably my fault," Chloe looked away, "I'm sorry for everything this week, Coolidge…and I'm sorry you were dragged along, I just—"

"Chloe, stop," I shook my head—I wasn't going to hear any of it, "You don't have to apologize. I'm doing this because I want to…I don't want you to take this burden on all by yourself."

"…All right," she said reluctantly, trying to get one of her bags from the side of the bed. She took a large piece of paper out of it and said, "Then…I should be thanking you."

"Me?" I asked, "What did I do?"

"I thought, that in doing something for myself, only I could take the weight of it…The old me came back and thought that…and for this entire week, I believed it. But I know now. I have people who care about me, who are willing to help. You were the one who stopped me and reminded me of that. I…I'm really glad we're in this together."

"Me, too," I looked over to her, "I'll do whatever it takes to help you. But…"

"Is something wrong?"

"Well, this whole time I've been wondering…what's Gadoria even like? I've never been there before." Chloe looked at the large piece of paper she'd taken out—probably some kind of map—and started to explain…it was kind of nice to see how enthusiastic she was about her homeland.

"We'll be arriving at the capital, Baltoga, tomorrow morning," she began, "It's a large port city surrounded by mountains. The markets are always lively, and the streets are nearly always crowded. It's about two or three times larger than Werites Beacon…perhaps a little more. In the center stands the castle, and by the castle is the Nobles' District. The Houses of knights also reside there."

"So did you live near the castle when you were a kid?" I asked, curious. Living near a castle in a city three times bigger than Werites Beacon…I couldn't even comprehend the idea of such a big city. Aside from Crusand, I'd grown up in quiet villages for a good portion of my life, and Werites Beacon was the biggest city I'd ever been to…

"No, they've changed the layout of the city quite a bit since I was a child," she explained, "It used to be that the Knights lived on the outskirts of the city, in case of attack. The House of Valens was eradicated before the move happened, so the manor is probably still there."

"You haven't gone back there? …Where did you stay when you left for Gadoria the first time?"

"I stayed with an old supporter of the House," Chloe looked up at the ceiling, thinking, "But she was sickly when I visited and died this past year…so we'll be lodging somewhere else during our stay."

"Got it," I said, feeling a kind of childish excitement from hearing about a place I'd never been before, "I'm kind of looking forward to seeing this city."

"It used to be such a friendly city…but since the war, everyone seems so guarded there."

"Guarded?"

"It's hard to explain," Chloe shook her head, "Don't worry about it." I was sort of interested in knowing what she meant…but she didn't say any more about the city. I shrugged it off—if I was going to find out anything about it, it would be tomorrow.

"In any case," she changed the subject, "I hope it's all right if I rest for the night…we have a long day tomorrow."

"Yeah," I sat up from where I was and started to head towards the door, "I'm going to go get some fresh air. I'll try not to make too much noise when I get back."

"All right. Good night, Coolidge."

"'Night," I said, slowly closing the door behind me. The entire hallway outside was silent…everyone must've been sleeping or something already. I tried not to step on any old floorboards or anything like that; I'd feel weird if I broke the silence. Or…I thought it was silent, until I heard the creaking of the boat and the faint sound of the sea. I found the stairway up and slowly climbed until the night sky and the sea were right in front of me. The salt air rushed through my hair and right at my face, but it's always sort of comforting to feel the air as you're on the ocean…I guess being an Alliance marine makes you look at the sea in a different way than most people. (Although my entire journey on the Legacy would probably make anyone change their view on the sea.)

There were a few people standing out along the side of the deck, watching the ocean pass by. Even though there was just a big storm, the night sky was clearer than I'd ever seen it on the ocean. The moon and stars were so bright and clear…it's strange how things can change from one extreme to the other in so little time. Although…I guess that applies to this journey, too.

…I wish I'd seen it coming. I wish I'd have known how much suffering Chloe had gone through, making that decision for her parents and herself. I wish she would have talked to me about it—maybe if she knew she had a friend going with her, she wouldn't have felt so much pressure to tell everyone about this trip…and I wished I didn't get a weird pain in my chest whenever I called Chloe my friend.

It's been happening ever since Chloe faced her past, back in the Forest of No Return…but, that's what she was. Out of everyone, she's always been my closest friend on the Legacy. We might've had our differences at first, but she's the one who made me realize the truth about myself. When everything was over…I was afraid, if we'd all gone on our own separate ways around town, that I wouldn't see her much anymore. I didn't know why…but the thought of being away from Chloe just seemed so strange to me. I got so used to having her by my side that I'd forgotten what it'd be like when she wasn't there. So I decided. When we'd met up one day at Lumen Spring, like we did sometimes, I asked her to come stay with me. I…I wanted to see her as much as I used to…maybe I wanted to see her more. I don't…really get it, myself. But it was really nice when she moved in. I would always have someone to greet me in the morning, to eat meals with, to say good night to…My house in Werites Beacon finally felt like a home.

She's…a really important friend. She's gallant and brave. She fights for what she believes is right. I didn't want her to do this alone. I didn't want my home to become just a house again. If she was going somewhere, it just felt natural to go with her and help. And…I guess that's why I'm here.

I stared back out into the pitch black sea, trying to keep myself from overthinking everything…it just went on forever. And ever…and—before I knew it my eyes were starting to droop. I had to shake my head a little to wake myself up; I guess all of the day's fatigue finally caught up with me. It's like I told Chloe, we didn't have much of a break today. So…crashing on that bed sounded like a really good idea. As much as I loved the salt air, the bed was winning out. I made my way back to our cabin, yawning a few times on the way. I had to be careful not to make too much noise as I opened the door; the room was dark and Chloe was already under her covers and fast asleep. I tiptoed back onto my bed, slipping off my shoes and bracers and lay down, trying to make myself comfortable. The pillow was kind of…not very pillow-like, but I wasn't expecting anything fancy on a passenger boat like this.

I turned over on one side to see Chloe facing me from the other bed. It was kind of weird, not seeing her with that big hat she always had on. Whenever we went to sleep at home I didn't usually go downstairs afterwards; she usually keeps that hat on until the last second…and if I did go down there I'd probably forget she was sleeping on the couch. She's a really quiet sleeper. And her sleeping face was…really peaceful to watch. She looked really content with her arms around her pillow. Just watching her was kind of relaxing. And…little by little, my eyes started to close, too. My thoughts drifted all over the place, from everything that'd happened the past week, to everyone back in Werites Beacon, and back to looking forward to seeing Gadoria. I was really…looking forward…to...

G'night…

* * *

_"Can we stay like this…just a little longer?"_

_ Mmph…okay, Stella…_

_ "Let me just stay here like this…for a little while…"_

_ Yeah…Chloe…you can…stay as long as you want to._

"Coolidge."

_…y'know, the rain feels really good…_

"Coolidge, it's morning. Wake up."

_…I'm glad it's raining, too…glad you're here…_

_ "_Senel, get _up!_"

Everything stopped—I shot right up when I heard the loud noise, rubbing my eyes to see Chloe, already dressed and ready to go…she looked kind of mad.

"…I had a dream where we were in the rain again," I looked over to her, confused, "And then someone kept telling me to wake up…"

"The second part wasn't a dream," Chloe shook her head, but she looked kind of…amused, maybe? "…Despicable. I thought maybe you'd have gotten up on your own for once, but I guess I shouldn't count on that…"

"Sorry," I felt kind of embarrassed to have someone wake me up…That hasn't happened since before the black mist disappeared, "Did something happen?"

"Yeah," she crossed her arms…she must've gotten that from Will, "We're here. I'll leave the room so you can get ready. I'll be waiting in the hall."

"R-right," I nodded, rubbing the last bit of…whatever it is that goes in your eyes when you're tired. As soon as she left, I switched the shirt I was wearing with a clean shirt from my bag and got my stuff together. I made sure neither of us forgot anything on the way out, and when I was all done double-checking the room, I ran out the door to see Chloe at the end of the hall. She beckoned me over and as we climbed the stairs to the bow, I still expected the shining blue ocean to be there…it wasn't.

Something much grander was. I nearly gaped at the sight.

"Now disembarking!" a voice came from the side of the boat, "Please keep your belongings with you as you disembark!"

"Welcome to Baltoga, Coolidge," Chloe smiled brightly—she must've been happy to be home.

As for me…I was too busy taking in the giant stone port that lay in front of me. It must've been at least twice as big as Port-on-Rage! And past that, there were buildings all bunched together—a lot of them. They kept going as far as I could see! And past all the buildings, in the center of it all, was something huge: a giant, towering bunch of buildings, taller than any I'd ever seen. From the distance, it even looked like it was taller than the half-destroyed mountain. I pointed to it, wondering what it was.

"That's the Royal Castle," she said before I could even ask, "If we're lucky, we should be heading there once we find our way around."

I had never seen such a tall bunch of buildings…I had never seen such fancy cobblestone streets…and I'd never seen so many people in one city. It was probably ten times busier than Werites Beacon…and I thought that by itself was a busy city. Even Chloe's description the night before wasn't enough to match what the city really looked like. I must've really been in awe of it, because Chloe had to tap me on the shoulder to bring me back to reality.

"Come on," she said, full of enthusiasm, "We should hurry."

"Y-yeah," I nodded, following along and trying to take in the giant capital at the same time. The boat was a little livelier than it was the night before, with families guiding their children off the boat, couples gazing over at the view of the city, and dock workers trying to load off some kind of cargo. We waited in line just as we did to board the boat, and when our feet finally touched the Gadorian ground, everything seemed even livelier. There were stands lined up on the edge of the port buildings with merchants selling all kinds of items, with restaurants and bakeries and fish markets lining the port area. Just the port alone could have been a city in itself…I didn't know what Chloe meant about everything being "guarded" last night…the city seemed liked a really lively, exciting place to live.

"So," I started, looking around at the lines of buildings and the streets that led into the main city, "Where are we headed?"

"First we should find the inn," she told me, taking out her map of the city, "if memory serves, it shouldn't be too far from here. Just down the main road to the castle, and a bit to the east."

"All right," I nodded, "Let's go."

Chloe must've noticed how fascinated I was with such a big city, because she offered to point out different things as we passed by them. I enthusiastically agreed—I wanted to hear more about this place. As we went on, past the docks and into the main stretch of the city, she began to talk about different buildings and houses as we passed them…Some of them were places her family used to donate to, others were just places she liked to go with her mother or father. But…while I listened, I couldn't help but notice how happy she looked. She was re-living all of those good memories...and it made me glad to see her so different compared to the distant Chloe from yesterday.

"You're like a little kid," Chloe looked back with a smile as she finished explaining something, "I've never seen you this enthralled with anything before."

"I could say the same to you," I shrugged, kind of embarrassed.

"It's my homeland, of course I'm going to be—oh, that bakery there has some really delicious doughnuts! Norma would love them. Of course, we should go there once we get the chance, as well."

"…See?" I raised an eyebrow, "I'm not the only one." I saw her turn away, embarrassed, but even still, she kept on telling me about all of the different places and her memories of them as we passed through.

It must've been about a half-hour walk through the main street, but it was worth travelling. I must've learned more about Chloe's childhood than I ever had before. Despite all of the bad memories she has of her parents' death and the fight to restore her honor, she could still remember the good things about her past, living happily in the lively mainland city. The business of the city faded out as we turned into another district, east of the main street. The street was still cobblestone, but it was a little narrower than the main stretch of road. Tiny shops and inns lined each side of the road, and I kept wondering which one Chloe intended to go to.

Near the very end of that road, far from the hustle and bustle of the city, was a large, brick-and-stone building lined with wood, with a sign hanging above the door. It wasn't as nice-looking as the ones we'd passed—maybe even kind of run-down…but Chloe stopped right in front of it. I looked up to read the sign, engraved with a blue dragon in the middle:

_DRAGON'S IRE INN AND PUB_

"Is this it?" I asked, making sure Chloe wasn't sick or something, "This one looks sort of…"

"It may look that way from the outside," she explained, "But my father and mother loved it. Father was a very important patron to this place…he donated a good amount of Gald to it over the years. They always loved seeing all of us there. I wonder if it's still the same…with the Valens name disappearing, surely they've probably forgotten…"

"There's only one way to find out," I said, ready to open the door, "Let's go in." Chloe hesitated a little bit, but she followed along as we opened the door to see a surprisingly crowded pub. It still looked a little suspicious, with all the different types of people at the tables…nothing like you would see at the piano bar in Werites Beacon. The staircase was the first thing we saw…it looked like it led up to the inn part. A waitress or two ran around the spacious pub with different things on their trays, serving to all of the different men and women. As for me…I was going to keep my guard up. Just in case. I think even Chloe was surprised when she saw the inside.

"…I wasn't aware how much this place had changed…" she whispered to me not long after we walked in.

"Welcome!" a red-haired waitress in a simple blue dress and white apron waved to the two of us, "What'll it be?"

"We'd like to stay at the inn here," I said simply. I didn't want to say anymore; I felt like everyone was looking at us…

"Of course!" the waitress gave a little bow, "You can inquire about a room at the bar. Just ask for Mr. Armand!"

"Armand…" Chloe repeated the name, "That's the name of the old owner…he must still be running it."

"Well, we won't find out anything by just standing at the door."

"Right," she gave a quick nod and we both found ourselves seats at the bar…there were a couple of sailors sitting there and staring at us, some guy who…kind of looked like a knight, an old man, a suspicious-looking couple who both wore the same black-hooded cloak, and us…I didn't really fit in all that well here. I didn't even feel like I was in the same city anymore…this place had such a different atmosphere. Not to mention, people kept whispering behind our backs…

"…that crest is…" I heard someone say.

"It couldn't be…" another guy chimed in. I ended up glaring at both of them—never have I felt like I was going to be jumped in a bar before…well, Will did tell me once that there were some places like this in Rexalia where bar fights'd just break out and you would bet on who won…he never really described the places very well, but even though I was in Gadoria, I felt like I was in one of_ those_ Rexalian bars…

"Don't worry, Coolidge," Chloe said quietly, noticing how tense I was just sitting there, "We should be all right…I think." She was about to say something else, too, but an older man with dark hair and a mustache came up to us from across the bar with a pad and paper in his hand—and he didn't seem too happy to be there. He was wearing a uniform with the inn's emblem, though…must've been the bartender.

"All right, look," the man said, staring daggers at both of us, "I understand you young couples like this, eh…old-city charm, but no, I am _not_ doing any more wedding receptions here—including yours! …Too much damn work for not enough pay…"

"W-wedding reception…?" Chloe sounded nervous, "I-it's not like that at all!" …what was that guy thinking?

"What is it, then? Your boyfriend over there's a down-on-his-luck Alliance marine and you're a noble and you two're eloping and need a room?"

"What?!" I nearly yelled—why is it that I keep hearing the word 'elope' recently? What does that even _mean_?!

"Sir, please," Chloe started, trying to be calm, "My…travelling companion and I are just trying to find a place to stay…that's it."

"Ehh, that's fine, I s'pose…" the old man shrugged, ready to write something down on the notepad, "Name's Charles Armand, by the way…but jus' Armand's fine. 's what everyone else calls me—I own this place, so if you're stayin' in my rooms you'd better take care of it. Now give me your name and I'll see what I can do for you."

Chloe paused for a second, but finally said, "Valens. My name is Chloe Valens."

…and then, everything got really quiet…like Chloe had just sworn out loud by saying her name. The men at the bar stopped drinking. The people at the tables stopped talking. And the old guy—Armand or whatever—he almost dropped his pad of paper when he heard Chloe speak.

"Y-you're Alfonso's…" the guy nearly stepped back, "Bless my soul…"

"It's good to see you again, Armand," Chloe politely gave a nod to him. For meeting an old friend of her family again, she looked pretty serious…

"It's true, then…" one of the sailors at the bar turned to Chloe, "The crest on your cape tells all."

"I can't believe it…" another guy gasped, "Valens's daughter…She's really returned!"

"Never did I think I'd see you back at this place…" Armand's eyes were wide…he almost looked like he was about to cry—was Chloe really that important here? Maybe she'd actually said something hallowed to them, rather than some kind of swear, "I didn't even recognize you…You've grown into a beautiful young woman, Chloe Valens."

"O-oh…" she looked away, "Thank you."

"Not at all, m'lady…It's a blessin' to see you well," Armand bowed a little…is this the same guy that greeted us?! I looked over to ask Chloe what changed in the guy all of a sudden, but he seemed to explain it pretty well before I could even ask; he pounded his fist on the bar to get everyone's attention and said, "D'you see that, you idiots?! After seven years, she's finally returned! You thought Alfonso and Heloise's name died the moment they did, didn't you!? You thought all my dedication to Valens—after he saved my life and this very business—was fer naught, didn't you?! 'Cause you'd be _wrong_! Their name lives on, in this young lady right here!"

Everyone in the bar began to cheer… and I was shocked by the transformation this guy—and the entire bar—had made. At first I just thought he was going to be some rough-and-tough bartender like in those Rexalian places, but…he actually turned out to be really dedicated. After all that talk of Chloe saying her family was shunned after they were un-knighted…it was really good to see people still dedicated to her. Even Chloe was surprised at the cheers and applause in the bar; she looked around at everyone, not knowing what to do.

"I'm sorry," she said to Armand as the commotion died down, "I don't deserve such praise…I let the House of Valens fall…"

"Don't you even start with that modest knightly crap on me," Armand shook his head; I was surprised at how straightforward he was, "Your father used to do the same thing. We here at the Dragon's Ire have been dedicated to the Valens name for 15 years—since you were just a tater tot—and I ain't changin' that policy now. We knew you'd come back here eventually…it was just a matter of when!"

"…You knew?" Chloe asked.

"'Course I did! We all did! Call it intuition, but hell, we were gonna take bets at one point, we were so confident!" he said, matter-of-factly, "So, what brought you here, anyway? Rumor had it that you were gallivanting around on that ancient ship thing!"

"The Legacy," I corrected him, "Chloe's here to redeem her family name." Chloe nodded, and he looked pleased to hear it.

"Ahh, even better!" he clapped his hands together, "I knew this day would come…Then I'll assume you're gonna need to be here a while. I swear to you, m'lady, that we'll accommodate you with the best we got here! This ol' place ain't as pretty as it used to be when your father was around, but I'll be damned if it isn't close! May as well give you some lunch on the house—you must be tired from your little adventure here. …Hell, there's a celebration to be had! Drinks on me, ladies and gentlemen!"

The crowd roared again with cheers and applause, and I finally realized…this was a _really_ big event for them. Chloe looked pretty embarrassed to have started the whole little celebration. Waitresses were passing out drinks all over the place, and Armand ordered the cook in back to make us the "best he had" as he cheered with the rest…I looked forward to it, but…

"We do have money," I told him, "We wouldn't feel right to just take everything for free."

"Agreed," Chloe nodded, "I appreciate your kindness, Armand, but…"

"Oh, all right, all right," Armand shook his head and shrugged, "I'll humor you this time, m'lady. But don't think you're gonna be payin' for anything else here! I've still got a debt to pay back to those folks o' yours!"

Chloe thanked him, and I handed over some Gald to pay for the meal. Armand took the money, but…as he did he was scowling at me.

"So," he began, slyly, "Who's the Alliance marine with you, m'lady? Should I be preparing the ol' honeymoon suite?"

"N-no!" Chloe nearly yelled for the entire bar to hear—she took a breath and continued, and for a second my face felt warm, "It's—he's—" she seemed to be having trouble with it, so I finished for her.

"I'm Senel Coolidge," I held out my hand—Shirley always reminded me to be friendly to others, even if I wasn't thrilled with them…I kept hearing her voice, scolding me in the back of my head until I finally offered my hand.

"All right, Mr. Coolidge," he took my hand and shook it pretty hard… "I'm just kiddin' around, o' course. Good to know m'lady's got a trusted friend to aid her in these rough times." It was really weird, though, hearing him call me "Mr. Coolidge"…I didn't think I'd done anything to deserve it.

"Yeah…" I said, "I'm glad there're people here who believe in her."

"Always have," Armand winked at us both, "Always will. I'll have a waitress or two take your things into the nicest double we got, and you ain't payin' a dime—no buts. 'Till then, enjoy yourselves, y'hear?"

"Armand…" Chloe seemed ashamed—but Armand must've picked up on it quick, because he came right back with something before Chloe could think of what to say.

"What'd I tell you?" He smiled, "Don't you dare start with that crap. I'm just doin' what Heloise and Alfonso woulda wanted. We're here for you, m'lady."

"…Thank you," nodded a grateful Chloe, "I swear on my name, I will make them proud—and you as well."

Armand was glad to hear it, and minutes later he brought us out two giant plates of food—steamed vegetables, meats, breads…there wasn't anything _not _on those two plates. Even Chloe and I together couldn't finish it all, but we offered it up to the other customers and they seemed pretty happy with the leftovers…I guess you really can't judge a book by its cover. At first I was pretty suspicious of the entire place, but…the people were kind. They were dedicated. And they cared about Chloe just as much as my friends and I did.

We talked with a few of the sailors after we'd decided to share our food, but not long after the same waitress who greeted us tapped us both on the shoulder.

"Miss Valens? Mr. Coolidge?" she bowed to us a little—I still wasn't used to hearing someone be so formal with me… "Please follow me to your room, if you would…" We both nodded to the waitress to tell her we'd follow, and we said our farewells to the sailors for the time being. As we passed through the bar, everyone gave us friendly waves and told us they'd be seeing us around. It was like being surrounded by one giant family…and I liked that. It reminded me of the Legacy, in a way.

The stairs were a little old and creaky, but there weren't all that many of them, and as we climbed, the noise of the bar died down considerably, almost to a point where you forgot there was ever a bar there. The top of the staircase led to a long hallway, lined with doors—each door had a sign on its front with numbers and letters on them, and the numbers on the signs got higher as we passed them. At the end of the hall, when there was only one door left on the left side, we stopped and the waitress opened the door for us.

"This will be your room for your stay here—room 14L," she bowed, "Mr. Armand informed me to remind you that he will refuse any attempted payments from either of you."

…I'd wondered why he'd made her remind us again, but once the two of us walked into the open door, I figured out why…the room was almost completely different from the rest of the inn. The floors were still wooden, but they were covered by bright little rugs. The walls were a bright white and a big window with a view of the city and the castle stood at the other end. Under it was an antique-looking desk with some quill pens that reminded me of Shirley and a few pieces of parchment already on it. There were two giant, ornate chests at the edge of each of the two beds, and in between the beds, like on the boat, there was a tiny table with a lamp on it. There was even a little fireplace and a whole different door to the side…did we really deserve all this for free?

"Your belongings have already been sorted in the chests, and the door on the wall is the door to your bathroom, which also connects to the rooftop, if for some reason you feel the need to be up there," the waitress added, "If you'd like fresh towels, please see Mr. Armand or any of us and we'll be glad to provide them for you."

"Thanks," I smiled at the waitress, but she looked away embarrassed for some reason…

"A-ah, um, please enjoy your stay!" she bowed again and closed the door behind us. For a few minutes we didn't really say anything—we were both a little bit eager to look around the room. Once I was done exploring the little space, though, I sat down on the bed by the window…although somehow I ended up with my head on the pillow instead. And it was a lot comfier than the one on the boat ride here.

Chloe finished looking around not long after, taking a look at the view of the city from the window. I saw her look back and smirk at me when she saw me relaxing on the bed, but you can't blame me…it was a lot better than the one on the boat.

"So," I said with one eye open and the other closed, "…Where do we start?"

"The castle, of course," she looked back and pointed at the towers in the distance, "We'll have to get an official audience. Redeeming a House of knights that has been expunged requires an audience, as well as a royal pardon earned through good deeds towards the kingdom. Or…that's how I remember it, anyway."

"…an 'audience'?" I asked…I'd heard Will use the term when he had 'audiences' with Musette, but…I never really knew what they actually meant.

"It's when you're able to speak directly with His Majesty. You voice your concerns, and he kindly listens to them. At the end of the audience, he'll decide what course of action to take based on those concerns. Most audiences are usually for political issues and problems among the townsfolk, but it can also be used to request knighthood, should the potential knight show promise."

"Sounds complicated," both eyes were open now—I was too preoccupied trying to understand the concept of an audience that I couldn't relax much.

"It's not bad," she shrugged, "Or…so I've heard. I'm not sure what to expect now, what with the warning Isabella gave us."

"Yeah," I nodded, "We'll have to be careful."

"In that case," Chloe said, "We should get going. If we don't hurry, audience hours will be over."

"All right," I said as I got up—although I was a little disappointed we couldn't rest a bit more, "Lead the way." And with a bit of a walk ahead of us, we readied ourselves for whatever it was that might come our way.

* * *

Aaaand that was chapter 3! For some reason I have a thing with naming bar owners Armand…I did that in another 'fic on this site, too. I JUST REALLY LIKE THAT NAME OKAY. Also speaking of names, if you didn't pick it up, Alfonso and Heloise are the names I chose for Chloe's parents…I figured one had to be Spanish-y and one had to be French-y because…you know…chloe…valens.

Since Chapter 4's already done, I'll post it in a few days, after I've done some work on Chapter 5. I always like being a little bit ahead! As always, **thank you so much for reading**, and I hope you'll stick with me for this! It's gonna start getting crazy in the next chapter! …sorta.

Feedback is always appreciated, and even if you don't give me any I'm gonna try to keep writing this with the motivation I do have. :P (but extra motivation is always a very nice plus. Juuust saying.)


	4. To Deliver the Feelings

It's that time agaaaiiinnn~. It's chapter four! I…don't really have much to say about this chapter…it's one of those chapters you've gotta read first for me to talk about, I think…

OH and thank you to my_ first two reviewers_! :D you guys both made my day, and here are individual responses!:

**DJet89 **– thank you so much for your kind words! I'll do my best to keep at it! As for Senel, yeah, he will have a bit of character development on his own during the journey-it's a very gradual process that's been happening since the second chapter…but it's a little bit at a time. You'll see what I mean as it goes on! ^^

**ChaosOverlord65** – thanks a bunch! I hope you'll keep reading, and I'm really glad there're still people around who still love this game after all these years!

All righty! And with that, enjoy Chapter 4!

* * *

_Ch. 4 – To Deliver the Feelings - .chloe valens._

The journey to the heart of Baltoga—the journey to the Royal Castle itself. I had waited years for this day…the day I could finally begin to rebuild the House of Valens. To be honest…it was something I never thought would happen. I was overjoyed, yet anxious. Proud, yet humble…and so on. I experienced many different emotions as Coolidge and I left the _Dragon's Ire_, with Armand and the other patrons giving us their well-wishes and hopes.

The tiny avenue we had walked through only an hour or two before slowly turned back into wider roads, and those wider roads also merged into the main road that stretched from the edges of the port to the insides of the castle walls. The packed streets had died down with the morning, but the crowds were still busy as always. Merchants still peddled their wares to the passersby, groups of children still clung to their mothers, and the shops and bakeries all began to advertise their afternoon sales.

The buildings on the sides of the road only grew in size as we went along, and Coolidge was still curious as ever to see what I knew of them. As I did earlier, I showed him the places I had been in childhood and the memories I had there…he always seemed content, just listening—occasionally he would ask a question or two, but other than that, he continued to gaze at the city in awe as the castle grew closer with each step.

We had entered the rather quiet nobles' district along the way; it was the district that surrounded the castle on all sides and marked our short distance from the looming castle itself. Coolidge must've noticed how close we were getting, and decided to ask:

"Have you ever been to the castle before? What's it like?"

"Once," I tried to remember, "A very long time ago. But I was a young child, so…I don't have much of a recollection of what it looked like." When I looked back on it, the entire memory of my visit to the castle seemed so blurry and distant…Mother and Father were there with me, of course, and…there was a grand hallway that seemed to stretch towards the sky, but…that's the only image I remember from that time. It must've been at least 15 years ago…

"Why do they even need a building that big?" he asked with a puzzled look on his face, "You'd probably get lost in a place like that."

"I suppose they'd built it in the image of the first kings…grand and powerful," I guessed. I once studied the history of the Royal Castle, but that, too, was a fading image…all I remember is a picture book with colorful paintings of the castle and nothing more. It made sense, though…as I child I was more interested in colors and pictures than words.

Somewhere along the way, the giant manors and Houses of knights all but seemed to disappear—all that was left was a bridge across the man-made river to lead us to the castle. The giant towers almost seemed to touch the sky as we neared them, and I could see Coolidge's sense of wonder return…It surprised me a little, that he was so impressed by the mere sight of the castle. We had been in much more complicated structures and towers, like the ones in Mirage Palace and the Wings of Light. Yet…he was still fascinated to see what we as a country had built with our own two hands in this era.

The corners of the bridge were guarded by the King's knights, though, and as we passed the first group in the front of the bridge, the wonder left Coolidge's face and he eyed the knights suspiciously. I didn't need to ask why.

"Those uniforms…" he said coldly, quietly, "They're…the same as the guards that attacked the Ferines."

I solemnly nodded, knowing that this moment would come on our way to the castle. These uniformed men were in the Royal Guard, an elite force of the Royal Family's strongest knights, used for the protection of the city and the castle grounds…which is why I was so surprised when we found them on the Altar of the Sea, all that time ago…

"…Those guards should never have been on the Legacy," I tried to explain to him as we passed the second group of guards at the end of the bridge, "and I want to know the truth of why they were there, as well…should I be knighted, I want to use the beliefs I have to protect people, not harm them…those men that came on the Legacy were never knights to begin with, taking on a task against their very code of honor…"

"Yeah," he gave a slight nod, "You shouldn't be punished for just being who you are…it isn't right." And I agreed—the Ferines never asked to be chased away from the mainland…they only wanted a peaceful life. But they were torn apart by Crusand, by Gadoria…and I needed to know why. My resolve was strengthened by those thoughts, and when we neared the castle gates, I was ready. I knew what I had to do.

The main gate to the castle was heavily guarded, with another large bridge and moat to keep it protected. Usually—according to what my parents told me once—there would be a long line of those who wished for an audience, and people from all over the country would come and wait for their issues to be voiced in front of the king. But not a soul was there…just the guards, who glared at us as soon as we entered.

"Halt!" two guards with long spears blocked the way across the final moat into the castle with their weapons, "You stand before Castle Gadoria. What business do you seek here?"

"We seek an audience with His Majesty," I bowed, "I have come here from the Legacy to discuss the fate of the House of Valens."

"The House of Valens…" said the other guard, "So then you must be their daughter."

"Yes," I said, "and I'd like to see the King." The two guards looked over at each other for a moment, conversing quietly to each other as the two of us waited for their verdict. Not long after, one guard left his post and headed for the castle, while the other gave us the news I was dreading to hear:

"We will report this news to His Grace, the Duke," the guard explained, "as His Majesty has fallen ill. Should His Grace refuse you, you will be thrown out of the castle grounds immediately."

"What?!" Coolidge was furious when he heard the guard's words, and I wasn't much happier. I held up an arm to keep him from doing anything rash, as he sometimes does…the guard continued:

"Should His Grace accept your proposal, you will be given a date and time to see him, and he will grant you an audience in a matter of months—"

"Months?!" Coolidge's face was red with anger, "We came all this way! We're not going to just stand idly by and wait that long!"

"Well, then," the guard shrugged, "You should have thought of that sooner. Should you cause any interruptions during this time, I assure you, it won't be His Grace to throw you out, but—"

Before the guard could finish, his comrade rushed back from the castle grounds, tired and out of breath. He seemed in a hurry, and when he whispered something to the guard we were speaking to, his eyes widened and he turned back to us in disbelief.

"…I, ah…I apologize for my harsh words earlier," the guard barely managed to say, "I'm surprised to say this, but…His Grace would like to see the two of you…immediately."

"…Huh?" Senel's anger faded into confusion, as did mine... "What made him decide that?" I did expect some kind of wait period for the audience itself, but I agreed with his question…what prompted the Duke to hear us out so suddenly? I wondered…

"…We're not quite sure ourselves, but…" said the one guard, still in shock, "My fellow guard here will lead you to the throne room, should you accept His Grace's generous offer."

"We accept," I acknowledged the other guard, and despite our confusion, Coolidge and I agreed to follow the still out-of-breath guard.

"Please keep close," said the guard we were to follow, "Do not wander anywhere unattended, unless you'd like to get your audience revoked." Coolidge and I looked at each other and nodded—it was a strange bunch of circumstances, but we followed nonetheless. The first guard agreed to guard solo by the bridge as his partner led us in the right direction.

Past the large wooden bridge and the towering stone walls was a group of beautiful gardens surrounding the main castle, filled with flowers and plants of all kinds, and a fountain here or there. Statues of past Gadorian monarchs lined the front walls of the castle itself; after an approval from another guard, the large doors to the inner castle opened before us…and we were guided inside.

The early memory I had of the castle seemed to reflect wherever we were at that moment—bright white walls and marble floors created a long, straight hallway with gateways to other rooms and hallways along the way…the ceiling still stretched towards the sky with crystal chandeliers hanging from it, and I was almost tempted to stretch my arm up in the air as I did when I was young, trying to touch a chandelier I would never reach. Similar statues from the ones in the garden also lined the side walls when there weren't doorways there, except they were made of a stronger, more expensive material…their full names were written on the bases of the statues, but we were going at too fast a pace to read every single one of them.

Coolidge, too, was back in his awe-like state. He stared up at the ceilings I once tried to reach as a child, nearly tripping over his own feet as he did. He was chided by the guard to be quiet, but he still turned to me every so often with a look of wonder, as if to say, "This is amazing!" or something similar.

At the end of the grand hallway stood a large doorway, almost like that of the front gates. It was engraved with the faces of many kings past, and two heavily-armed guards also stood at each side of it. The guard who was leading the way spoke quickly to the other two at the door, just like he had with the ones at the main gate, and when he was done, asked us to wait for a bit as he went into another hall. A little while later, he came back with these final words:

"You are about to meet His Grace, Duke Bartram Gustav Gadoria II. Do not, under any circumstances, anger him. Should you do so, you will be forcefully removed from the throne room and castle altogether. And do mind your manners," he said, eyeing Coolidge exclusively near the end…With one final bow to us and a salute to his fellow guards, he left us there in front of the door to wait for the heavily-armed pair to open it. They, too, bowed to us before opening each of the two creaking doors.

And so it begun.

We were guided into the throne room by the two doormen, and as we made our way in, the doors closed behind us again. The room seemed to be a continuation of the long hallway, but at the end stood a large group of chairs in the center—and there was the Duke, sitting comfortably in the chair where the King usually resided. Guards were plentiful down the hall and stood in lines along the large red carpet we travelled down to get closer to him. As we passed each group of guards, they saluted us in a usual Gadorian fashion until we were finally face to face with His Grace. He was an older man of perhaps about 50, and wore the traditional clothes of the royal family…a decorated blue cape with an ornate white suit under it. Unlike His Majesty, who I always remember having grey hair, His Grace's hair was a dark black, though his mustache may have been greying, just a bit…

"Welcome to my castle," the Duke said—a deep voice that spoke slowly and articulately, "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Chloe Valens…" I nearly gasped when he'd known my name.

"You…know me?" I asked, trying to be as cordial as possible. I could tell Coolidge's suspicions were rising.

"But of course!" His Grace gave a smile, "What citizen of Baltoga does not know the plight of the once great House of Valens? A prominent and proud House of knights, struck down by a mere pickpocket! A daughter who thinks she can run it all by herself, only to have it crumble right before her eyes…yes, how mighty and satisfying a fall…"

Coolidge nearly readied himself to fight after those words, but I turned to him right away as if to tell him not to say anything else—the Duke noticed this.

"Ah, and you, sir," he turned his gaze to my companion, "must be Senel Coolidge…"

"Wh-what?!"

"Oh, don't think I don't know you, too," the Duke smiled again…but I felt a strange uneasiness as he did, "The little Alliance marine that could! I've heard all about your little adventures on that Legacy…killing our soldiers, taking down the Captain of the Royal Guard, foiling our plots to obtain the Merines…why, as soon as I was informed you two were here, I simply _had_ to see you myself…"

"What do you want from us?" Coolidge glared daggers at the Duke, who remained eerily calm…

"Well, now you're just making assumptions, friend!" he laughed, emphasizing the last word, "But it's not about what I want, is it? It's about what _she_ wants." He pointed to me knowingly—the guard at the front gates must've told him why we were here.

"And," the Duke started again before giving us a chance to speak, "Since my dear brother is ill…I'll be handling your audience. So do tell me, Miss Valens…what do you expect me to do about that little dollhouse of yours?"

…the name he gave it sent chills down my spine. Memories that I'd hidden for so long came rushing back when he said that, and before I knew it my fists were clenched tightly as I tried to once again forget those painful days of my past. I took a step forward and began my official plea to the Duke:

"The House of Valens was expunged more than six years ago," I began, trying to stay confident in the face of these memories, keeping in mind that Senel was with me, "In that time, I've had many different opportunities to think about what the true duty of a knight is, and what a knight should aspire to be. I've faced many hardships and travelled all over in my journey across the Legacy, but never did my resolve to redeem the Valens name fade. I ask you this, your Grace, please—" …or, I was about to, but before I could continue, he spoke up again.

"Do you really think that I would even_ consider_ an offer like that?" the Duke asked, his smile unwavering. My blood began to boil upon seeing that smile, but I knew we would be as good as thrown out should I succumb to it. Coolidge, on the other hand…

"What did you say?!" he took a step forward and stood next to me again, even more livid than he was before we were allowed inside.

"Did you not hear me?" His Grace raised an eyebrow at Senel, "Why should I consider even accepting her offer for a pardon? If you weren't aware, Senel Coolidge—and I'm sure you aren't—a Royal pardon is offered if the ex-knight in question desires to help her countrymen…her past actions have already proven that she would rather defy her country's orders rather than aid it."

"I…" I wanted to argue that point so much, and yet…no words came out. Perhaps…he had been right…

"See? Why would you even ask for such a thing if you yourself know you can't even do a simple task? All I asked was that you kill the Merines…and what did you do instead? You _ran_. Like a coward."

"…It was you…" I finally realized after he'd said those words; I pointed to him confidently, "You were the one who gave orders to kill and capture Shirley! I knew those couldn't be the words of His Majesty…His Majesty is kind to all people, but you…you're…" I grabbed the hilt of my sword and nearly pulled it out of its sheath when the guards to the side began to do the same as they saw me. For some reason, however, the Duke put his hand up, as if to order them to stop.

"Oh, quite the little investigator, aren't we?" he smiled, "Yes, it was me…my brother was too fickle to do such a thing…he wanted to ally with that nuisance Holy Sovereign of Rexalia, wanting the Legacy to be ruled by no nation…but as that ship fired upon Mt. Zeriques, I saw ultimate power. I saw glory. And when he fell ill, I just so happened to be the one to give the order…the good Captain seemed to be loyal to a fault…so I told him the orders of the 'King' and was on my way."

"That knight called Shirley a monster," Coolidge looked about as angry as I was, "But the only monster I see here is you."

"Shirley?" laughed the Duke, "Is that the Merines's name? Don't make me laugh. What good is a tool with a name?"

"She's not a tool!" Coolidge yelled, "Shirley is more a person than you'll ever be!"

"That's right!" I added, "How can you claim to be fighting for justice in this world if your armies have killed innocent people?!"

The knights on the sides began to draw their weapons again, but the Duke once again put his hand up to stop them.

"I never said it was just," he replied calmly, "…What do _you_ know of justice, Chloe Valens? You watch as your kingdom's capital is nearly destroyed in war, yet you don't feel a sense of longing as you watch the destruction with your own two eyes…you don't wonder what your homeland could be like if it possessed such a power! No…instead, you fight my orders and run like the coward you are…just like those worthless parents of yours, slaughtered in mere moments. You want to know what justice truly is? Justice is taking back what is rightfully yours…Justice is having the power to destroy all those who claimed to fight for you and then betrayed you in the end!"

…I was nearly shaking when he brought up the subject of my parents…I knew right then that this man should not have been ruling my homeland…he knew nothing of justice, of peace…it was just as Isabella had said.

"…Damn you…" I mumbled under my breath, "Damn you!"

"That's not justice!" Senel fought back, "You just sound like a power-hungry warlord…you sound like _Vaclav_!"

"…Vaclav Bolud, eh…" the Duke didn't take any offense to it at all, strangely enough… "I'll take that as a compliment."

"You must really hate yourself if you take being compared to your enemy a compliment," Coolidge scowled at the Duke…if you could even call him that.

"…Hmph," he stared at his hands, examining them as if we were nothing, "You want to be pardoned, then? My brother would do something that foolish, but_ I_ will not. Escort them out, please."

"What?!" Coolidge and I both said at the same time—it was he who continued, "We've traveled all this way from the Legacy and you don't even bat an eye at Chloe?!"

"…It's fine, Coolidge," I told him, putting my hand on his tense shoulder, "We'll find another way."

"Yeah," he nodded, turning back towards the smiling Duke as two guards came to guide us out, "…he's not worth it."

We were "escorted" out the entire way—two guards grabbed our arms and nearly pulled us out of the throne room, out of the long hallway, and out of the castle grounds themselves. They finally let go when we reached the bridge to the nobles' district and left us there, but throughout the entire way, I felt…something wasn't right. I felt as though someone—many people, even—were watching us as we were pulled out of the castle, despite the fact that no one was there…

Neither of us were aware of how long we'd spent at the castle; we were surprised to see the sun setting as we came back into daylight. With heavy hearts and nothing to say, we agreed to go back to the Dragon's Ire, where perhaps, Coolidge suggested, we could come up with an alternative plan with the help of Armand and the other patrons.

* * *

_.senel coolidge. _

I was still angry about what that so-called Duke had said to Chloe…actually, I guess I was angry about everything he said…calling Shirley a 'tool', believing that the Legacy was an ultimate weapon of destruction, killing innocent people and admitting to being the one who gave the order to kill Shirley…If I could, I would have wiped that smile right off his face and sent him flying off that throne. But…for Chloe's sake, I couldn't and didn't.

We didn't have much to say on the way back to the pub, and I didn't blame Chloe for not saying much…one of the few hopes she did have to officially becoming a knight again was taken right before her eyes, and we didn't have many other options…but I told her that there had to be a way. She still believed in herself and in her sense of justice. That alone was enough to keep her going…if anything, talking with that guy probably strengthened her resolve to become a knight again.

By the time we'd made it back and the door to the pub was right in front of us, it was dark out and the moon was just about halfway to the top of the sky…We'd had a long day and I think both of us needed to rest after all that happened at the castle…I could tell Chloe was disappointed, but even as we entered, Armand gave us both a smile and Chloe spoke with him like nothing had even happened. He'd sat us down at the bar and asked what we'd been doing the whole day.

"We went to the castle," I told him, "to see the Duke."

"Ahh, that ol' rat," nodded Armand, "Surprised he even took you in for an audience. Bet he treated you worse than Galf dung, though…ever since His Majesty got sick, that old loon's been doing all sorts of strange things around the country…"

"…What kinds of strange things?" asked Chloe, quietly interested. I was wondering the same thing, but Armand gave us a straight answer:

"No one knows," he shrugged, "They just know he's been doin' somethin' underground…Hell, if the _Gadorian Herald_ can't even pin down what he's doin', we may never know."

"That newspaper?" I asked, surprised to hear its name again…although, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised at all, since this was Gadoria, after all…

"Right-o," Armand nodded, "They can usually pick up any and all news about the kingdom, but…mark my words, somethin' fishy's goin' on. I can smell it from a mile away."

"…that could be the burning fish and chips, too, Armand," a sailor next to us pointed towards a smoking heap of…something through the kitchen doors.

"Damn cooks!" he cursed, but turned to us before he ran in there, "You two go rest up in your room or somethin'. Sounds like you had quite an adventure today. I'll send someone up when I got supper ready for ya."

"All right," I nodded, "thanks." The two of us both dragged ourselves up the stairs and back into our dark inn room, with only the faint bits of moonlight coming in through the big window. I lit the lamp as soon as we got in, and we decided to take turns washing up before Armand came to give us dinner. I let Chloe go first while I crashed on the bed again, trying to think of everything that happened at the castle again…

Why is a man like that even given that kind of power? It's like I told him…he was acting just like that bastard Vaclav…and he was _all right_ with that. That's what makes me uneasy about this…I don't want Chloe's country turning into some kind of war-torn empire. If he—or any other country—wanted to use the Legacy or Shirley for the sake of power, then…they'd have to go through me first. I'm sure Chloe would do the same, and the others back on the Legacy, too. I just hoped that that would never happen…I thought all of the fighting over the Legacy had stopped.

And…what were we supposed to do to help Chloe get her title back? That's what bothered me the most…I tried to think back on everything the Duke had said, to try and find some kind of clue to another way…and then I remembered:

_"My brother would do something that foolish, but _I_ will not," _he'd said.

…Maybe we shouldn't have even talked to the Duke at all. Maybe we should have just wandered around the castle to find the King…maybe we just need to find the King, or cure whatever it is he's sick with…maybe. I'd have to talk with Chloe and Armand about it, but…maybe that was our other option. Maybe we needed to cure the King. That would be Chloe serving her country…right? That would give her the pardon she needs. I'm sure the King would do that, if he's like how Chloe described him…

I decided to talk to both of them about it when we ate later that night. Maybe Armand knows where we could find the medicine to cure him.

Before I could think of anything else, though, the bathroom door opened and Chloe came back out, putting her hat on as she finished up. I was about to get an extra suit of clothes for after I'd washed up, but…

"…Do you hear that?" Chloe asked—I was just about to ask her the same question. The bar wasn't usually noisy downstairs…but for some reason there were loud sounds coming from the distance, or under the floorboards, maybe. It sounded like…metal. We both stayed quiet, and I looked at her and nodded, mouthing out the words, "Yeah, I hear it."

"What's all that noise?" I wondered out loud. Chloe looked just as stumped as I did and shrugged.

"Perhaps we should go and—" Chloe started to say, but before she could finish there was a knock at the door. She hurried to answer it, and found Armand there. I walked on over to both of them, but…Armand didn't look as cheerful as he was earlier today.

"H-hey, you two!" he said, "I, uh…supper! Supper's ready downstairs."

"Is everything all right, Armand?" Chloe asked.

"O-oh, yeah," he nodded…but I wasn't buying it, "uh…just a bit stressed with the fryers, is all…heh. C-come on down!" He suddenly grabbed my arm and Chloe's, nearly dragging us to the first floor like the knights had earlier in the day. By the time we'd gotten to the stairs, Armand almost looked like he was about ready to break down…

"Armand?" Chloe asked as we started down the stairs, "What's wrong?"

"Nothin' at all, m'lady, I just…" he started to say, but sighed, and quieted his voice down, "…Screw it, I can't do this…just…whatever happens down there…I swear, I'll do whatever it takes to repay you two...and…feel free to hate me."

"What?!" I tried to let go of his grip on me, but it was no use—and by the time we'd gotten down the stairs and into the bar, I realized why he'd said what he said.

…There were guards from the castle. Everywhere. We were surrounded. The bargoers had swords to their throats, screaming and yelling to be let go, and Armand threw Chloe down the last stair for them to see her…I could see the regret in his eyes. He walked down the last stair with me, keeping his grip tighter than ever. I couldn't let go even if I tried—what kind of strength did this guy have? How did he get it?! And…why the hell were all those soldiers here?!

"…There she is," Armand pointed to Chloe, disgusted, "Just…let everyone go, you worthless scum."

"Watch your mouth, old man…" a familiar voice came from the bar—when I saw who it was, anger rushed through me like adrenaline: the Captain of the Gadorian knights who tried to kill Shirley…and succeeded in killing Fenimore. He was still alive.

"You…!" I tried to jump at him, but Armand's grip was still tight.

"…What's this all about?!" Chloe stood, drawing her sword.

"…Is that really a wise decision, Chloe Valens?" the captain gave a horrible smile, "If you even touch us with that sword, we will kill everyone here. Not one exception." He turned his eyes to me when he said the last thing…like I'd let him kill me!

"…Wh-what…?! That's-!" Chloe gasped—I was ready to punch that guy out, but Armand kept pulling at me.

"Armand!" I yelled, "Let me go!"

"I-I'm so sorry…" he mumbled, "After I'd promised to be loyal to m'lady and you. They said they would kill me…they would kill us all…they would burn this place to the ground…if I didn't keep you here while they…"

"While they _what_?!" I nearly screamed at him, but he didn't need to finish—the knight spoke for him.

"Chloe Valens," bellowed the knight, "You are under arrest on the charges of treason and defying His Grace, Duke Bartram Gustav Gadoria II, and indirectly, His Majesty himself. Fight back, and these people will all die." The knights began to surround her—she looked panicked as the sound of handcuffs clicked and the knights grabbed her handcuffed arms, as well as her sword.

_ "What?!" _I jumped for the knight again, not caring if I dragged Armand with me. To my surprise, he let go, and I had my hands around the knight's neck.

"What are you doing with her?!" I screamed into his face, "_Let Chloe go!"_

"Keep holding onto me like this," he said through gasps, "…and she dies right here. How would you like that?"

…I let go. With the knights' mission completed, they sheathed their swords and left the customers gasping for breath, too scared to say anything else. Some even ran. I ran towards Chloe, who was being pulled away by the other guards. They all stopped to draw their swords at her when I got close.

"…It's all right, Senel," she said calmly—how could she possibly be calm?! "…I heard Armand."

"…I'm so sorry, m'lady…" Armand was shaking his head behind me and covering his eyes, "I-I'll do everything in my power to…to…"

"Chloe…what are you talking about?!" I was ready to punch out the guards who were holding onto her, but I saw her shake her head. What was she doing?! Why wasn't she fighting back?! I wanted to take them all out, to rip the handcuffs off of her, but…their swords were pointed towards her. If I made one wrong move, then…

_…Dammit!_

"I'll go with them," she looked down, "These peoples' lives are more important right now…and yours, as well. That's…the just thing to do. If they believe I've committed a crime, then…that's fine. But…I know you can prove to them what true justice is, Senel."

"Like hell!" I yelled to her, "We're in this _together_! I won't let you go with them!"

"Hold him down, old man! Unless you'd like to be the first to die!" a knight yelled—I tried to counter it, but Armand had grabbed my arm again and held me back. I tried to pull away, and in my anger I even tried to punch him away—but he was quick, and grabbed my other arm.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Coolidge…" he whispered, "Truly, I am."

…as Armand held onto me, there was nothing I could do when they led Chloe out of the _Dragon's Ire_. I yelled out her name, time and time again, but…she didn't say anything else. All I saw before she passed through the door was that she looked back…and she was _smiling_. Her mouth moved, and there were no words…but I knew what she'd said.

_"I know you'll find me." _

And I swore I would.

…I felt a pressure on the back of my neck.

After that…there was nothing but darkness.

* * *

Dun dun_ duuuuuun. _Oooh, suspense. Stuff's happening! And…yeah. You're probably wondering why they didn't arrest Senel, too—you'll find that out in the next chapter. (Speaking of which, and you may have noticed this with this chapter, too, updates will probably be a little slower—maybe like once a week or so. I really, _really_ want to finish this story, but I don't want to burn myself out writing at the same time. Chapter 5's like 60-ish percent done, so that should be up next week-ish if all goes well.)

ALSO a shout-out to one of the people who reviewed the original Redemption—I think his username was like **Bardock92** or something? But he gave me the line from Senel's narrative: "Like hell! We're in this together!" and I really thought it was very fitting for Senel, so I always wanted to use it! I'm glad to say I finally got to! Wherever you are, Mr. Bardock92, thank you! :D

As always,** thanks a bunch for reading!** Feedback/reviews are always appreciated, and as you can see, I try to reply to each one! Until next time!


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